Virgin Atlantic And British Airways Resume Flights To China

Virgin Atlantic and British Airways have announced they will resume flying to mainland China.

The devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent flight restrictions on the travel industry caused both airlines to cut off all flights to and from China.

On 1 May 2023, passenger and cargo flights on Virgin Atlantic’s London Heathrow (LHR) to Shanghai will resume.

The airline will relaunch service between London Heathrow and Shanghai on 23 April 2023 and between London and Beijing on 3 June.

Customers on our flights from Shanghai and Beijing will be warmly welcomed back. British Airways Head of Sales for the Asia Pacific region, Noella Ferns, said, “We know they have been looking forwards to reuniting with family and friends, going to study in the UK, and resuming business between China and the UK.”

After 23 December 2020, Virgin Atlantic stopped flying to Shanghai. Now that the Chinese government has relaxed its travel restrictions, both carriers expect a significant increase in demand.

“I’m thrilled that our Shanghai services are back in operation after a protracted absence. Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer of Virgin Atlantic, stated, “We’re looking forwards to having our customers back on board and providing crucial connectivity to one of the UK’s top trading partners for passenger and cargo flights.”

“Shanghai is the last route to return after the global pandemic, returning our aviation programme to full capacity”, she continued.