Virgin Atlantic to launch flights to two new destinations next year – including to desert capital city
VIRGIN ATLANTIC is launching two brand-new services from London Heathrow for next summer – and it’s great news for long-haul fans.
The airline will be operating two new routes from London Heathrow to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Accra in Ghana.
Daily services will operate between London Heathrow and King Khalid International Airport, with services set to being running on March 30, 2025.
The news comes after annual trade between the UK and Saudi Arabia was reportedly worth £17.1 billion in 2023, with trade expected to reach £30 billion by 2030.
Tony Douglas, the former Etihad Airways Head and is a prominent business owner in Saudi Arabia, believes the country can replicate Dubai‘s success and become a tourist hotspot.
Back in 2023, he told the Telegraph: “Going forward. This [Saudi Arabia] will probably be one of the biggest go to places.”
Located in the desert, Riyadh will soon be home to King Salman International Airport – the biggest airport in the world.
King Salman International Airport will have six runways and will be able to accommodate 120million passengers when it opens in 2030.
The huge new travel hub will be spread across over 57 square kilometres (22 square miles), with roughly 12 square kilometres being dedicated to recreational facilities.
The airport is being designed by the British architecture firm Foster + Partners, while UK construction firm Mace will be responsible as the delivery partner.
Until the Virgin Atlantic flights launch next year, British Airways operates direct routes from the UK – with prices starting from around £700 for a return ticket.
Despite the ongoing conflict in Yemen, which borders Saudi Arabia, destinations such as Riyadh remain safe for travel.
Virgin Atlantic will also start flying to Ghana again after in paused services to the African country back in 2013.
Daily flights to Kotoka International Airport in the Ghanaian capital of Accra will be operational from May 1, 2025.
The country has a total of 539km of coastline, making it a great place to visit for anyone looking to chill out by the sea on their getaway.
Dolphins are often spotted in the waters off the coast, while it’s a popular place for surfers too.
According to Culture Trip, the best beach in the country is Labadi, where live music plays in the evenings as the sun sets over the shoreline.
The airline told Travel Weekly: “The UK is home to the third largest Ghanaian diaspora in the world and the new service will respond to demand to visit friends and relatives.
“Around 10% of customers are also expected to connect through London onto Virgin Atlantic’s New York JFK service.”
Tickets for both routes are set to go on sale on September 12, 2024.
Meanwhile, Juha Jarvinen, chief commercial officer at Virgin Atlantic, added: “Riyadh and Accra join Toronto as new routes for summer flying in 2025 and we see huge opportunities to connect friends, relatives and businesses with our new services.”
Other new routes
VIRGIN Atlantic isn't the only airline launching new flights in the coming months.
- Budget airline Ryanair is launching several new routes from London Stansted Airport to Dubrovnik, Linz, Reggio and Sarajevo
- Other new Ryanair routes include Newcastle to Marrakech in October, in time for the winter season
- Last week, Turkish Airlines announced that it wants to launch flights to both Glasgow and Newcastle
- Elsewhere, Glasgow has launched two new easyJet flights this summer, including Larnaca in Cyprus and Enfidha in Tunisia
- And from next summer, Sun Express will start flying from Newcastle to Dalaman.
Meanwhile, Riyadh Air is set to become Saudi Arabia’s new national airline when it launches commercial flights in 2025.
The new airline was unveiled nearly one year ago at the Paris Air Show, with the company showcasing its purple-coloured fleet.