Virgin Atlantic to relaunch Shanghai flights suspended since 2020

Virgin Atlantic has announced it will restart flights between London Heathrow and the Chinese city of Shanghai on May 1, ending a two-and-a-half-year suspension.

The airline has not operated flights on the route since December 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It said it will resume operations following a relaxation of China’s travel restrictions, with borders reopened to foreign nationals for the first time since 2020.

Western airlines have been reluctant to resume operations to and from Asia because of tougher coronavirus rules.

Heathrow-Shanghai is Virgin Atlantic’s final route to be reinstated after pandemic-related suspensions.

The airline’s chief commercial officer, Juha Jarvinen, said: “The return of our Shanghai services has been a long-time coming and I’m delighted it’s finally a reality.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming our customers back on board and providing vital links to one of the UK’s largest trading partners, for both passenger and cargo services.

“Shanghai is the final route to return following the global pandemic, restoring our flying programme to full capacity.

“Our focus for 2023 is on delivery, as we look forward to launching routes to new destinations, welcoming brand new clean, green aircraft and getting back to our best for our customers and people.”

The airline will double capacity on its Tel Aviv service this summer, and open new routes to the Maldives and Turks and Caicos later this year.