Virgin Atlantic announced that it will be suspending its flights between London Heathrow and Shanghai from Oct. 26, 2024. This decision comes as a result of the high costs associated with avoiding Russian airspace, which has led to longer flight times and increased fuel bills.
“Significant challenges and complexities on this route have contributed to the commercial decision to suspend flying to Shanghai,” an airline spokesperson told Bloomberg in a statement.
The airline has been operating the route since 1999, and its departure from Shanghai will leave it without any nonstop services to China. The airline has already cut other routes in the Asia-Pacific region, including Hong Kong, Lahore, and Islamabad, in recent years.
Earlier this year, Virgin Atlantic also axed a high-profile route between London and Austin, citing a “persistent softening in corporate demand.”
The move is part of a broader trend among airlines, with Qantas also withdrawing from the China market due to weak demand. Despite the challenges, Virgin Atlantic still maintains a code-share partnership with China Eastern, which it signed in January.
