UK-based airline Virgin Atlantic has announced an end to its flights to China after 25 years of services between the UK and Shanghai, citing the rising costs of avoiding Russian airspace.
The airline had only resumed its service to the country’s largest city in May 2023 after pandemic closures but has announced it will now be ending its operations between London and Shanghai on 26 October.
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A spokesperson said: “We’ve provided important connectivity between the UK and Shanghai for thousands of customers and supported global supply chains through our cargo operations.
“However, significant challenges and complexities on this route have contributed to the commercial decision to suspend flying to Shanghai.”
The company, owned by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, highlighted the significant operational disruptions it had seen since sanctions installed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led the country to ban British and other western airlines from its airspace.
The ban has added an hour to Heathrow to Shanghai flights and around two hours for return services, increasing Virgin’s costs by requiring additional aircraft, crew, and fuel.
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By GlobalDataRoute limits have also put Virgin Atlantic at a disadvantage to Asian airlines operating on the same routes, with carriers such as Air China and China Eastern running daily services between London and Shanghai which fly over Russia.
The struggle of European airlines to run services to China may also provide an opening for other Middle Eastern and Asian companies, with Emirates in the middle of talks with China on expanding its presence in the country, currently limited to 35 flights per week.
The news further reduces Virgin Atlantic’s connections to Asia after the airline also ended services to Hong Kong and Pakistani cities Lahore and Islamabad in recent years, focusing more on its core transatlantic services and flights from Europe to India.
However, while a codeshare agreement with China Eastern will no longer provide Virgin customers connecting flights within China, via Shanghai, the company confirmed to Airport Technology that the partnership would remain in place to allow China Eastern customers to connect to Africa and the Caribbean via Heathrow.
