Virgin Atlantic is delighted to be relaunching services between London Heathrow and Dubai, as the airline continues to capitalise on pent up demand for premium travel and grow its route network.

The four times a week service will operate seasonally from October through to March, capitalising on sunny winter breaks for sunshine hungry Brits.  Customers can book flights from 7 June 2023 from £505 return.

The airline expects the new route to be hit with leisure customers and aims to capture the increased demand for premium winter sun getaways.  The year-round warm weather with just a three-hour time difference is set to appeal to couples and families alike. The relaunch of the popular route will complement Virgin Atlantic’s two other newly announced premium destinations - the Maldives and Turks and Caicos.

Virgin Atlantic Holidays offers a portfolio of more than 30 properties throughout Dubai and the region. Set upon miles of glorious golden sand, Dubai’s spectacular resorts will allow customers to luxuriate in five-star glamour, while still within reach of the bright lights of the city. The nearby desert offers a treasure trove of adventure from camel rides to sand boarding and dune bashing. Perfect for guests of all ages seeking new experiences.

The route will commence on 28 October, operating on the airline’s 787-9 aircraft boasting 31 Upper Class, 35 Premium and 192 Economy Delight, Classic and Light seats.  The new service will offer seamless connections and a consistent long haul onboard experience for those customers connecting from Dubai via London Heathrow to destinations throughout North America across both the Virgin Atlantic and Delta networks, including New York, Seattle, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. As well as flying customers, Virgin Atlantic will offer 20 tonnes of cargo capacity on each flight. This fast cargo service will offer new opportunities for companies looking to export and import goods such as fresh produce and high tech products between the Middle East and prime markets in the UK and US.

Virgin Atlantic has today also announced an expansion to services from Manchester Airport, the airline’s home in the North. New services to Las Vegas will commence in Summer 2024 and are set to provide passengers in the North West and beyond a wider offering of leisure flights, which also include Orlando and Barbados.  The new Manchester service will operate on one of Virgin Atlantic’s newest aircraft, the Airbus A350-1000 aircraft boasting 16 Upper Class, 56 Premium, and 325 Economy Delight, Classic, and Light seats as well as the airline’s unique social space - The Booth. The new area, designed for Upper Class passengers, is perfect for travellers to enjoy afternoon tea together, a spot of wine tasting or simply catching up as they cross the Atlantic.  Fares start from £770 per person in Economy.

In a further enhancement to its leisure programme, Virgin Atlantic is also reaffirming its position as the leading transatlantic airline to the Caribbean by launching inter-island flying, making a wider variety of luxurious destinations even more accessible.  The announcement comes as the airline is set to grow its presence in the region by flying to more islands than ever before, as well as offering 150% more seats in its premium cabins compared to 2019.

From 14 June Virgin Atlantic will be the only UK airline allowing travellers to easily hop from Barbados to Grenada or St Vincent and the Grenadines, allowing even more customers to experience multi-island holidays in a tropical paradise by flying in Virgin Atlantic style. The new inter-island services are set to provide both international and local customers more opportunities to explore the Caribbean and each island’s unique personality. With an increased customer demand for experience-rich breaks, Virgin Atlantic Holidays will provide complete packages incorporating easy booking, preferred itineraries and seamless connections between the islands, each with the same premium Virgin Atlantic service they enjoy on transatlantic flights. This will also be complemented by an increase in flights to St Vincent and the Grenadines, which will operate thrice weekly this winter, with seats to St Lucia increasing by 33% since last year, reaffirming the post pandemic demand for premium, sunny getaways.

Rikke Christensen, Vice President of Network & Alliances at Virgin Atlantic, commented;

“I’m thrilled to be returning to Dubai – a destination we know our customers and people love.  Its inviting climate during the cold UK winter, combined with its first-class collection of hotels and experiences make Dubai a must visit destination for sunshine hungry Brits.

We’ve long wanted to return to this incredible city when the time was right, and this year presents the perfect opportunity.  Dubai will complement our growing collection of winter sun destinations, bolstered by The Maldives and Turks and Caicos later this year alongside our new services between Manchester and Las Vegas in Summer 2024 and the soon to commence inter-Caribbean flights. I’m looking forward to welcoming our customers back to this vibrant, exciting destination once more.”

Virgin Atlantic last operated flights to Dubai in March 2019.