Virgin Atlantic flights to Hong Kong will not restart until at least September, despite the Asian financial hub easing Covid-19 rules for airlines and travellers.
A ban on inbound flights from nine countries, including the UK and the US, was lifted on April 1 after almost three months.
But carriers are delaying their return, including British Airways until at least May 28.
Virgin Atlantic reportedly told Bloomberg: “To ensure operational readiness for our London Heathrow-Hong Kong passenger services, we have taken the careful decision to extend the pause in operations, with the intention to resume services from September 2022.”
The airline suspended flights to and from Hong Kong in late December. The carrier has also paused its cargo-only flights
United Airlines is only selling tickets for non-stop services between San Francisco and Hong Kong from the start of July.
Qantas is selling tickets for Sydney-Hong Kong starting on October 30, according its online ticket sales availability.
Foreign carriers also face rules that could see inbound flights suspended for a week if they carry three or more Covid-infected passengers to Hong Kong.
Emirates has served six such bans this year – its Dubai-Bangkok-Hong Kong service has been suspended for a total of 77 days on and off, according to Bloomberg.
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, Korean Air and Malaysia Airlines have also had week-long bans imposed this month after breaching Hong Kong’s so-called circuit-breaker mechanism.
A coalition of 11 foreign airlines last month lobbied Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam to scrap pre-flight and on-arrival Covid-19 tests for aircrew.