Virgin Atlantic will restart flights between London and Shanghai next week, marking over three years since it last operated this route. The route will launch again on May 1st with a daily flight by Virgin's Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet.
Virgin returns to Shanghai
Shanghai is the final destination to be reinstated to Virgin Atlantic's network following China's gradual reopening to the world this year. Shanghai was one of its first routes scrapped during the early days of the COVID pandemic - February 1st, 2020, to be exact - although the airline did operate sporadic flights until December 2020.
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Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic, commented,
"The restart of our services to Shanghai is a major milestone for Virgin Atlantic. Shanghai was the first of our routes to be suspended in 2020 at the start of the global pandemic and the last to return, making it the final piece to restore our flying programme to full capacity. After such a long hiatus, we’re looking forward to welcoming our customers back to Shanghai and providing vital links to one of the UK’s largest trading partners, for both passenger and cargo services."
Flights between London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) will return on a daily basis from May 1st, to be served by the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Virgin's 787-9s offer capacity for 264 passengers in three classes - 31 in business (Upper Class), 35 in premium economy and 198 in economy.
Fares start from £432 ($539) per person - the full schedule is as follows:
LHR to PVG - departs London at 13:45, arrives in Shanghai at 09:25(+1)
PVG to LHR - departs Shanghai at 11:40, arrives in London at 19:20
Strong demand both ways
Virgin Atlantic said that since China opened its borders to foreign nationals at the start of this year, there has been considerable demand for business and leisure travel going both ways. The carrier added that Shanghai's position as a global economic center and cargo hub makes it a pivotal reinstatement to its network.
Photo: Croatorum | Shutterstock
Virgin Atlantic's recent entry to the SkyTeam alliance will pay off in Shanghai - one of its new SkyTeam partners, China Eastern Airlines, is headquartered here, opening up a vast range of domestic and international connections for Virgin travelers.
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Global network at full health
The carrier has now reinstated its full pre-pandemic network, which includes destinations in the US, Caribbean, South Africa, Nigeria and India, although this doesn't include Hong Kong. Virgin will also launch new routes to the Maldives and Turks and Caicos this year and has upped capacity on its Tel Aviv service, increasing to a double-daily.
Photo: Markus Mainka / Shutterstock
One bit of recent good news for travelers visiting China is the country's decision to ditch PCR testing requirements for inbound travelers. However, international visitors must still provide a negative rapid antigen test taken up to 48 hours before departure.
Have you ever flown with Virgin Atlantic to/from Shanghai? Will you be planning a trip to China this year? Let us know in the comments.

This data comes from MediaIntel.Asia's Media Intelligence and Media Monitoring Platform.