Virgin Atlantic pulls flights from Hong Kong after nearly 30 years

‘Our people and customers in Hong Kong have been amazing’

Virgin Atlantic is scrapping flights to Hong Kong after nearly three decades as the closure of Russian airspace pushes up costs and Covid restrictions dent the island’s as a financial hub.

The airline is also shutting its offices there, impacting nearly 50 workers. It has not flown the route since 2021.

A number of international carriers have been forced to suspend or withdraw Hong Kong services because of strict quarantine regulations for passengers and airline crew that have made travel all but impossible.

Virgin Atlantic – founded by Sir Richard Branson in 1984 and soon to join the SkyTeam Alliance alongside the likes of Delta, Air France-KLM and China Eastern – will continue to serve Shanghai.

“Our people and customers in Hong Kong have been amazing since we first touched down at the famous Kai Tak Airport in 1994 and since then we’ve provided important connectivity between the UK and Hong Kong for thousands of customers and supported global supply chains through our cargo operations,” the airline said.

“After careful consideration we’ve taken the difficult decision to suspend our London Heathrow – Hong Kong services and close our Hong Kong office, after almost 30 years of proudly serving this Asian hub city.

“Significant operational complexities due to the ongoing Russian airspace closure have contributed to the commercial decision not to resume flights in March 2023 as planned, which have already been paused since December 2021.”

It added: “We’re sorry for the disappointment caused to our loyal customers on this route.”

The closure of Russian airspace in response to Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine has added an hour to eastbound Heathrow-Hong Kong flights and almost two hours to the westbound return.

Hong-Kong based Cathay Pacific has been struggling to stem losses caused by the constraints on air transport at its home hub, where all air crew must spend three days in quarantine upon return.

“We will only be able to operate more flight capacity when the existing stringent travel restrictions and quarantine requirements applicable to Hong Kong-based air crew are lifted,” its chairman Patrick Healy said in August.