Virgin Atlantic is axing flights to Hong Kong, partly because of the ‘complexities’ of the Ukraine war, which has made some flights nearly 2 hours longer
- Virgin Atlantic is ditching routes to Hong Kong partly because it’s no longer able to fly over Russia.
- The closure of Russian airspace has added nearly two hours to some flights, Virgin said Wednesday.
Virgin Atlantic is permanently ditching flights to and from Hong Kong, partly because the closure of Russian airspace amid the Ukraine war has made it too complex to operate from the hub, the airline said Wednesday.
“We’ve taken the difficult decision to suspend our London Heathrow — Hong Kong services and close our Hong Kong office, after almost 30 years of proudly serving this Asian hub city,” a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson told Insider in a statement.
“Significant operational complexities due to the ongoing Russian airspace closure have contributed to the commercial decision not to resume flights in March 2023,” the spokesperson said.
The airline originally suspended flights between London Heathrow and Hong Kong in December 2021 after the Hong Kong government suspended flights as part of its coronavirus measures.
In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin closed Russian Airspace to 36 countries, including the UK, US, and Canada, in response to bans they introduced against Russian-operated planes, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This decision left carriers used to operating over the country juggling higher fuel and labor costs as flights were rerouted.
Virgin was set to resume Hong Kong services on March 26, 2023. However, it said the plan has changed on the basis that the closure had added one hour on to flights Heathrow to Hong Kong flights, and as much as one hour 50 minutes the other way.
The airline also cited a fall in the number of connecting passengers passing through Hong Kong, following the scrapping of a Melbourne to Hong Kong route by Virgin Australia in 2019, as another reason for the decision, which was first reported by Bloomberg.
The airline has 18 ground staff and 28 cabin crew based in Hong Kong. Virgin said the capacity unlocked by ending Hong Kong flights will enable to increase flights to other key markets in Summer 2023, the airline said.
“Anyone booked to travel from March 2023, will be offered a refund, voucher, or the option to rebook on an alternative Virgin Atlantic route,” the spokesperson said.
