To avoid Russian airspace, Virgin Atlantic will be discontinuing the service of London Heathrow – shanghai route in October because of the extra cost.
London-Shanghai service is becoming expensive due to the restrictions, so the virgin Atlantic can’t take a direct route. The flights to shanghai add an extra hour to fly and requiring additional aircraft and crew time.
On 25th of October the final service from Heathrow to Shanghai will depart, and on 26th of October the last flight from Shanghai to Heathrow will depart.
A virgin Atlantic ambassador said “
After careful consideration we’ve taken the difficult decision to suspend our London Heathrow to Shanghai services, after proudly serving this Asian hub city since 1999.
Our people and customers in Shanghai have been amazing since we first touched down 25 years ago and since then we’ve provided important connectivity between the UK and Shanghai for thousands of customers and supported global supply chains through our cargo operations.
However, significant challenges and complexities on this route have contributed to the commercial decision to suspend flying to Shanghai.
We’re sorry for the disappointment caused to our loyal customers and anyone booked to travel from 26 October 2024 will be offered a refund.
From 18th of July, the airline will be discussing the booking and the refund process with the passengers who are affected.
During the covid pandemic the daily service to shanghai had been interrupted and in May 2023 it was returned to its former position.
Now the war in Ukraine and Russian airspace are forcing virgin Atlantic to stop London-shanghai flights.
