1 year ago
94 Virgin Atlantic has not operated immoderate rider flights to Hong Kong since December 2021, aft the city-state suspended each flights from the U.K. owed to a resurgence successful Covid-19 cases.
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British hose Virgin Atlantic announced Wednesday that it was permanently ceasing operations successful Hong Kong owed to issues related to the closure of Russian airspace.
The determination marks the extremity of the carrier's London Heathrow to Hong Kong formation way and the closure of its Hong Kong office. It besides calls clip connected the airline's 30-year beingness successful the Asian fiscal hub.
Virgin Atlantic said successful a connection that the closure of Russian airspace pursuing Moscow's penetration of Ukraine successful precocious February was 1 of respective "complexities" contributing to the decision.
It said that connected the ground of the airspace remaining closed, Heathrow to London formation times would beryllium astir 1 hr longer than successful 2019, portion Hong Kong to Heathrow flights would beryllium 1 hr 50 minutes longer.
It added that the 2019 termination of Virgin Australia's Hong Kong to Melbourne and Hong Kong to Sydney services had already reduced the airline's beingness successful the city-state.
"After cautious information we've taken the hard determination to suspend our London Heathrow – Hong Kong services and adjacent our Hong Kong office, aft astir 30 years of proudly serving this Asian hub city," a spokesperson for the hose said.
"Significant operational complexities owed to the ongoing Russian airspace closure person contributed to the commercialized determination not to resume flights successful March 2023 arsenic planned, which person already been paused since December 2021," it added.
Virgin Atlantic has not operated immoderate rider flights to Hong Kong since Dec. 2021, aft the city-state suspended each flights from the U.K. owed to a resurgence successful Covid-19 cases.
The hose was antecedently owed to resume Hong Kong services from March 2023. However, with Wednesday's announcement, it said it would beryllium capable to summation services successful different cardinal markets from adjacent summer.
Around 46 Virgin Atlantic jobs, including those of bureau unit and compartment crew, are acceptable to beryllium impacted by the decision, according to Bloomberg.
The hose said it would connection refunds oregon vouchers for alternate Virgin Atlantic services to the "limited number" of customers owed to question from March adjacent year.
Virgin's exit from Hong Kong is the archetypal by a large hose since American Airlines near the metropolis successful precocious 2021.
