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Virgin Atlantic is set to make a grand return to Canada with a new direct route between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and London Heathrow (LHR). This marks the airline’s first Canadian route in over a decade, connecting two major financial hubs and expanding its North American footprint.
Scheduled to launch on March 30, 2025, the daily service will feature Virgin Atlantic’s A330-900neo aircraft. These planes boast the airline’s onboard social space, wireless charging, and chic design, ensuring a luxurious experience for passengers at 30,000 feet.
This new route is designed to cater to the needs of business travellers, especially those in the banking and stock market sectors, providing seamless connectivity between Toronto and London. Additionally, the service will enhance travel options for Canadians heading to India, with convenient connections to Mumbai (BOM) and Delhi (DEL) through London Heathrow, which offers an average layover time of just 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Further onward connections will be available to destinations such as Bengaluru (BLR), Lagos (LOS), Johannesburg (JNB), and Tel Aviv (TLV).
Virgin Atlantic’s existing joint venture partnerships with Delta Air Lines, Air France, and KLM will complement this new service, ensuring robust connectivity between Canada and Europe. The airline’s codeshare agreements with EL AL and Middle East Airlines will also provide expanded travel options to Tel Aviv (TLV) and Beirut (BEY).
Singapore Airlines(SIA) signed agreements at the 80th International Air Transport Association (IATA) meeting to expand its network. On June 2nd, SIA and Riyadh Air, a new Saudi Arabian airline launching in 2025, signed a MoU to establish a commercial partnership. In a separate MoU signed on June 5th, SIA and Cathay Pacific Airways agreed to collaborate on a wide range of sustainability initiatives.
In a move to enhance regional connectivity, Virgin Atlantic is expanding its commercial partnership with Canadian carrier WestJet, set to launch in October 2024. This collaboration will allow passengers to travel seamlessly across Canada, including flights from Ottawa (YOW) and Winnipeg (YWG). Frequent flyers of both airlines can look forward to earn and redemption benefits starting in 2025.Commenting on the development, Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic, expressed his enthusiasm. “We are incredibly excited to be back in Canada and to launch this new service between Toronto and London. With its vibrant film, sports, food, and entertainment scene, we know Canadians will enjoy travelling with us to London, a city that also celebrates arts and culture and encourages exploration.”
Khalil Lamrabet, Chief Commercial Officer and interim Chief Operating Officer of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, added, “Demand for travel between Toronto and London is strong. In 2023, more than a million passengers flew between the two international cities, making the route our largest long-haul international market. We are excited to welcome Virgin Atlantic to Toronto Pearson. This is a big win not only in terms of capacity but also choice. Virgin Atlantic’s brand experience and onboard product will be an excellent option for our guests flying from, to, and beyond London.”
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