Virgin Atlantic is relaunching flights between London Heathrow and Mumbai (India) after a four-year hiatus with the first service set to start on 27 October.
The route will complement the airline’s long established route between London and Delhi.
Virgin Atlantic saw an opportunity to restart the route after the demise of Indian carrier Jet Airways last month, which flew the route.
The new flights will depart and arrive Heathrow in the morning to align with connecting flows to and from US.
The Mumbai flights will be operated on Virgin Atlantic’s Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
Virgin Atlantic executive vice president, Juha Jarvinen said: “2019 marks a significant period of growth for Virgin Atlantic and I’m delighted that we’re continuing to expand our route network once more, by returning to Mumbai.
“Until recently we’ve been able to serve this important market through our partnership with Jet Airways, however, since Jet Airways has sadly suspended its operation, we now have an opportunity to provide alternative options for our customers and meet this demand.”
“Combined with our long-standing route to Delhi, we’re able to provide travellers even more opportunity to experience our award winning service between the UK and India.
“Not only are we providing an increased offering to the thriving Indian market, but together with our partners at Delta, we can offer unrivalled choice and more seamless connections to the USA via Heathrow Airport.”
As well as flying customers, Virgin Atlantic continues to see increased demand for cargo. This fast cargo service will offer new opportunities for companies looking to export and import goods between Mumbai and prime markets in the UK and US.
The new Mumbai flights marks Virgin Atlantic’s 27 daily service from London Heathrow and its third new route announcement this year.
Flights to Tel Aviv, Israel are due to commence in September 2019, with flights to São Paulo, Brazil starting in 2020, marking the airline’s first venture into South America.
