In an interesting move, Virgin Atlantic has stopped taking bookings for flights to Shanghai for this winter season, effectively ceasing flights to China.
Pulling out of China
Virgin Atlantic will operate its last nonstop flight from London Heathrow to Shanghai Pudong on 25th October 2024 (return flight on Shanghai Pudong-London Heathrow route on 26th October 2024). The flights are currently operated using B787-9 Dreamliners. The airline is ceasing operations to Shanghai due to “significant challenges and complexities” as a result of not being able to use Russian airspace.
Virgin Atlantic has served Shanghai since 1999. It briefly stopped flying to the Asian hub at the time of COVID-19 pandemic but resumed operations in May 2023.
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.
a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said.
The airline added that passengers booked on flights beyond 26th October 2024 will offered a full refund.
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Flights expensive to operate
Virgin Atlantic says that operating flights to Shanghai have become expensive due to the unavailability of Russian airspace. The costs have increased as flights have to take a longer route leading to increased fuel burn which in turn leads to increased costs. Flights from London Heathrow to Shanghai are taking approximately one hour longer than before while the return flight takes two hours more than usual. This requires additional aircraft and crew time.
Chinese carriers that fly between China and the UK continue to use the Russian airspace and fly the same route as they did before. This provides them with a competitive advantage. This is similar to the case where Air India is able to use the Russian airspace for its European and U.S. flights while European and U.S. carriers can’t.
Once Virgin Atlantic leaves the Shanghai market, there will still be three airlines offering flights between London and Shanghai. British Airways and China Eastern Airlines operate flights between London Heathrow and Shanghai Pudong while Air China and China Eastern operate daily and double-daily flights respectively between London Gatwick and Shanghai.
Featured image by JetPhotos/Kevin Cargo
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