Virgin Atlantic will return to Canada next summer, with direct flights from London Heathrow to Toronto Pearson International Airport.
The airline briefly operated flights to Toronto around 2001, and most recently served in the Canadian city of Vancouver (but this route has not operated since 2014).
The daily service will launch on March 30, 2025 and the route will be operated by a mix of aircraft, including the A330-900neo, complete with Virgin's Retreat Suite. This is the airline's first route to Canada in more than a decade, with fares starting from £490 per person.
Virgin also plans to expand its codeshare partnership with Canadian airline WestJet in October, with frequent flyer benefits from both airlines expected to continue into 2025.
The news came as the airline celebrates its 40th anniversary. Virgin Atlantic launched in June 1984 with a route from London Gatwick to Newark, New Jersey, operated by Boeing 747 aircraft.
Fast forward to 2024 and the airline recently launched its 15th service to the US, with flights between Manchester and Las Vegas complementing its existing daily flights from London Heathrow. In a press release, the airline stated that “the United States and the Caribbean remain at the heart of Virgin Atlantic.”
Virgin Atlantic has also set its sights beyond these regions: the airline launched a service to Bengaluru in India in April and confirmed a second daily service to Mumbai from October 2024. In 2025, the airline will offer more than a million of seats to India. marking a capacity growth of 350 percent since 2019.
We spoke to CEO Shai Weiss earlier this year about this expansion and also explored Bengaluru in the magazine's June issue.
Interview with Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin Atlantic
Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Atlantic, commented:
“When I founded Virgin Atlantic 40 years ago, I went against everyone's advice. Friends, experts, the press, the experts… and on paper, they were right. Back then, air travel was not a fun experience, but airlines were allowed to get away with it because there was no real competition. Then I realized there was a gap in giving passengers a great experience, and I love a challenge. The result was our ruby red airline, which revolutionized aviation.
“Since then, there have been many times when people told me we would fail. But then we maintained the same belief that I had in 1984: if you can create something that is much better than what everyone else is offering, then you have at least a chance to succeed.
“From 1984 to 2024, it is our people who make me most proud. They are much more than just a workforce; They are what makes Virgin Atlantic special. “They are the red thread that keeps us all together and I know they will continue to take care of our customers for the next 40 years and more.”
virginatlantic.com
