A MAJOR airline has canceled flights to one of the world’s biggest cities after 25 years.
The British carrier had to halt its Asia-Pacific network due to longer flight times caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Virgin Atlantic has now announced that it would stop its London Heathrow to Shanghai service from October 26th.
A spokesperson for the airline said: “Significant challenges and complexities on this route contributed to the commercial decision to suspend flights to Shanghai.
“We are sorry for the disappointment caused to our loyal customers and anyone booked to travel from October 26, 2024 will receive a refund.”
A year earlier, Virgin Atlantic had decided not to resume its long-standing route to Hong Kong, which it had begun operating in 1994.
The airline cited operational difficulties resulting from the closure of Russian airspace following the war in Ukraine as its justification.
The airline has reduced its Asia-Pacific network, but still operates flights to Delhi and Mumbai, India.
Virgin also added a new route to the Maldives last year and flights from Heathrow Airport to Bangalore, India, earlier this year.
The new service invited passengers to explore the cultural diversity and culinary delights of the “Silicon Valley of India”.
It turns out that Virgin Atlantic flights could soon return to a new UK airport for the first time in four years.
Virgin Atlantic founder Sir Richard Branson has expressed his desire to return to Gatwick Airport after flights were suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Although new Virgin Atlantic routes have not been confirmed from Gatwick Airport, the airline has been launching other services across the country.
Last week, the airline launched a brand new route from Manchester Airport to Las Vegas.
Flights between the two destinations began operating on June 2, 2024.
The weekly seasonal service will operate every Sunday, with the direct flight lasting 10 hours and 35 minutes.
Other new flight routes launched from the UK
There are many other new routes leaving the UK to destinations that Brits may not have considered traveling to before.
- Later this year, the UK airline will launch a new direct service between London Heathrow and Tromsø, Norway.
- Budget airline Norse Atlantic Airways is launching new transatlantic flights from London Gatwick to Las Vegas, and it is the first time London airport will have flights to the US city.
- Norse Atlantic Airways will also operate new routes from London Gatwick to Cape Town this winter.
- EasyJet has launched new flights from Glasgow Airport to Larnaca in Cyprus and Enfidha in Tunisia.
- Lufthansa City Airlines will have flights between Birmingham and Munich from June.
Meanwhile, Turks and Caicos should be the next Big deal for Brits, with Virgin Atlantic launching direct flights from the UK twice a week.
In other news, Jet2 will launch 16 new routes from a small UK airport next winter.
Tourists in Bournemouth will have a host of new places to fly to from February 2025 when the budget airline’s flights begin.
Airline bosses initially wanted to take off from Hurn on April 1, 2025, but due to demand from excited customers this has been postponed to February 4.
Popular holiday destinations including Spain, Turkey, Greece and Portugal are among the new destinations to be served by the airline once the routes take to the skies in 2025.
For nervous passengers, Eurostar has confirmed that a popular holiday route is set to return later this year.
Those looking to skip summer and long for the cold months are in for a treat as they can hop on a train straight to a dream winter destination.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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