Virgin Atlantic relaunches London-Dubai service, booking opens soon

Virgin Atlantic is reinstating services between London Heathrow and Dubai. The four-times-a-week service will operate seasonally from October through to March.

Customers can book flights from June 7, with prices starting at GBP505 for a return ticket.

The route will commence on October 28, operating on the airline’s 787-9 aircraft.

The airline expects the new route to be hit with leisure customers and aims to capture the increasing demand for winter getaways.

The relaunch of the popular route will complement Virgin Atlantic’s two other newly announced ‘premium’ destinations – the Maldives and Turks and Caicos.

Virgin Atlantic Holidays offers a portfolio of more than 30 properties throughout Dubai and the region.

Virgin Atlantic to offer connections to US, and cargo capacity

The new service will offer connections for travellers connecting from Dubai via London Heathrow to destinations throughout North America across both the Virgin Atlantic and Delta networks, including New York, Seattle, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The airline will also offer 20 tonnes of cargo capacity on each flight. This fast cargo service will offer new opportunities for companies looking to export and import goods such as fresh produce and high tech products between the Middle East and prime markets in the UK and US.

Our newest destination just landed ??

City of souks, sand and really tall skyscrapers, Dubai here we come! So if you’re ready to go big, flights go on sale 7 June 2023 for take off from 28 October. pic.twitter.com/YQkvxY0aHv

— virginatlantic (@VirginAtlantic) June 1, 2023

Rikke Christensen, Vice President of Network and Alliances at Virgin Atlantic, commented: “I’m thrilled to be returning to Dubai – a destination we know our customers and people love. Its inviting climate during the cold UK winter, combined with its first-class collection of hotels and experiences make Dubai a must visit destination for sunshine hungry Brits.

“We’ve long wanted to return to this incredible city when the time was right, and this year presents the perfect opportunity. Dubai will complement our growing collection of winter sun destinations, bolstered by The Maldives and Turks and Caicos later this year alongside our new services between Manchester and Las Vegas in Summer 2024 and the soon to commence inter-Caribbean flights. I’m looking forward to welcoming our customers back to this vibrant, exciting destination once more.”

Virgin Atlantic last operated flights to Dubai in March 2019.

Other highlights

The airline also announced an expansion to services from Manchester Airport, the airline’s home in the North. New services to Las Vegas will commence in Summer 2024 and are set to provide passengers in the North West and beyond a wider offering of leisure flights, which also include Orlando and Barbados.

Virgin Atlantic is also reaffirming its position as the leading transatlantic airline to the Caribbean by launching inter-island flying, making a wider variety of luxurious destinations even more accessible. The announcement comes as the airline is set to grow its presence in the region by flying to more islands than ever before, as well as offering 150 per cent more seats in its premium cabins compared to 2019.

From 14 June Virgin Atlantic will be the only UK airline allowing travellers to easily hop from Barbados to Grenada or St Vincent and the Grenadines. It is increasing flights to St Vincent and the Grenadines, which will operate thrice weekly this winter.