- Flight will operate on the airline’s newest aircraft, the A330neo boasting new Upper Class cabin and first ever ‘Retreat Suite’.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: 3 September 2024: Virgin Atlantic is delighted to announce that it will be launching daily flights between King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and London Heathrow with the first flight taking place on 30th March 2025.
This announcement follows the signing ceremony for the launch of the Riyadh – London Heathrow route between Virgin Atlantic and the Saudi Air Connectivity Program. The ceremony was attended by Mr. Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin Atlantic, and Mr. Majed Khan, CEO of the Air Connectivity Program, under the patronage of His Excellency Mr. Ahmed bin Aqeel Al-Khatib, Minister of Tourism of the Kingdom, at the Ministry of Tourism headquarters in Riyadh.
This new service aims to capitalise on the huge growth taking place as part of Saudi Vision 2030. Air travel between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia is forecast to grow 24% between 2019-2035 whilst annual trade between the UK and Saudi Arabia was worth £17.1 billion in 2023 with the ambition to reach £30 billion of trade by 2030.
Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic commented: “It’s an incredibly exciting time to be launching flights to Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom is undergoing huge growth with the ambitious Saudi Vision 2030 and opening itself up to tourism and visitors like never before. We look forward to introducing our UK customers to this fascinating country, it’s culture and heritage, the stunning UNESCO World Heritage sights as well as the sporting and music events that the destination is now becoming famous for.”
“We see huge opportunities to connect friends, relatives and businesses with our new services, in both the UK and the US through our partnership with Delta Air Lines. We will also build on our codeshare with SkyTeam partner Saudia, further strengthening connectivity in the region, and beyond, and bringing new benefits to our loyal customers. We are excited to launching this new route in 2025, introducing the iconic Virgin Atlantic brand, award-winning experience and our amazing people to new customers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.
Majid Khan, CEO, Air Connectivity Programme said: ” We are delighted to welcome Virgin Atlantic to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With Virgin Atlantic`s entry between London Heathrow – Riyadh, our Air Connectivity will further enhance and will support to grow international inbound tourism to Saudi Arabia from UK and from Virgin Atlantic`s North American network. We look forward to further strengthen our great partnership with Virgin Atlantic in coming years and to continue developing Air Connectivity to Saudi Arabia”.
New connectivity from Saudi Arabia to the UK and beyond
The non stop service from Riyadh to London Heathrow will take six hours 50 minutes, operating on the airline’s state of the art A330neo, the newest aircraft in Virgin Atlantic’s fleet, and one of the most fuel efficient. Heathrow airport is just 15 minutes away from Central London, meaning a visit to the UK’s arts, culture and entertainment capital is easier than ever before, as well as easy connections to the business and financial centre in the city. The new service will also offer Saudi customers the opportunity to connect to destinations throughout North American across the Virgin Atlantic and Delta networks, including Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, Boston and Detroit.
As well as flying customers Virgin Atlantic will offer 30 tonnes of cargo capacity on each flight for companies looking to export and import goods such as fresh produce and specialised goods, including pharmaceuticals between Riyadh and prime markets in the UK and US.
Introducing the world-famous Virgin Atlantic experience
Virgin Atlantic was founded by Sir Richard Branson in 1984, with innovation and amazing customer service at its core. The airline offers three cabin classes, Upper Class, Premium and Economy, each delivering unique experiences that our customers love. With complimentary food and drink in every cabin, served by the airline’s award-winning cabin crew, alongside over 300 hours of the latest films, TV shows and music, Virgin Atlantic also boasts a fully connected Wi-Fi fleet.
Upper Class offers fully flat beds and on the A330neo, The Retreat Suite is our largest ever business class seat while the onboard social space, The Loft, offers customers the opportunity to conduct business meetings, catch up with friends and family or simply relax. Upper Class customers can also enjoy a private security channel at London Heathrow, the world-famous Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse and a Revivals lounge for customers to refresh before heading into London. The airline prides itself on offering a truly personalised experience for each customer, and will be evolving the onboard food and beverage offering, including Halal meals, local inflight entertainment, as well as training cabin crew in local customs and preferences.
