Virgin Atlantic to fly to Canada for first time in 10 years as part of three-route expansion
Virgin Atlantic is expanding its network by adding three “new” destinations.
UK based network operator announced This week the airline will add service to Accra, Ghana; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Toronto for the upcoming summer season.
To start, Virgin will fly from its hub at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Toronto’s Pearson Airport (YYZ) daily starting March 30, 2025.
The Toronto flight will be operated by a combination of Airbus A330-300s and Airbus A330-900neo aircraft, and I recommend you choose the latter if you are flexible. Virgin’s A330neo is the newest jet in the airline’s fleet and has Retreat Suite and The Loft social space for business class passengers.
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For those in North America, Virgin’s return to Canada — and Toronto in particular — has been a long time coming. The airline last flew to Vancouver in October 2014, on a Cirium schedule, but Toronto service was discontinued in 2001.
In addition to Toronto, Virgin will also launch flights from LHR to Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport (RUH) on March 30, 2025. These daily flights will operate exclusively with Airbus A330neo aircraft.
Finally, Virgin’s expansion includes a return to Accra, where the airline last served in 2013. The London to Accra route will launch on May 1 and will be operated with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Interestingly, Riyadh is Virgin’s only truly “new” destination, as the airline previously operated flights to Accra and Toronto.
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However, the expansion comes as the airline sees strong indications that the time is right to re-enter these markets.
In Canada, Virgin said its flights will be supported by passengers travelling to India via London. The airline flies to the Indian cities of Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai.
Additionally, the airline will market the flight as part of a joint venture with Air France, Delta and KLM. The airline will operate in partnership with Virgin’s Canadian partner, Westjet, which could offer more one-stop itineraries.
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Meanwhile, Virgin believes its return to Ghana will be successful as the market needs more competition. The London to Accra route is currently operated exclusively by British Airways, with daily flights from LHR and three flights a week from London Gatwick Airport (LGW).
The flight is designed to attract VFR (visiting friends and relatives) traffic, Virgin said. The UK is home to one of the world’s largest Ghanaian diaspora communities, and about 10% of passengers on the route are expected to connect to New York — another major Ghanaian hub.
“Riyadh and Accra will join Toronto as new routes for summer 2025 and we see huge opportunities to connect friends, family and businesses with our new services. We are also excited to build on our codeshare relationship with SkyTeam partner Saudia, further enhancing connectivity across the region and beyond, and bringing new benefits to our loyal customers,” Juha Jarvinen, Virgin’s chief commercial officer, said in a statement.
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