Virgin Atlantic to axe Heathrow-Dubai flights

Virgin Atlantic is axing fights to Dubai from Heathrow after more than a decade serving the Gulf state.

The service will be withdrawn from March 31, 2019, the carrier confirmed yesterday.

“After conducting a thorough review of its network, the airline has made the difficult decision to stop flying between Dubai and London due to a combination of external factors which mean it is no longer economically viable,” Virgin Atlantic said.

The airline will continue to operate daily flights between London and Dubai until the end of March, with new bookings still available until the last flight.

Virgin Holidays will also continue to provide holiday packages to Dubai.

Virgin Atlantic chief commercial officer Shai Weiss, who is stepping up to succeed Craig Kreeger as chief executive in January, said: “It‘s never an easy decision to withdraw a route, and we’d like to thank our customers and dedicated team in Dubai for their loyalty over the last 12 years.

“We’ll continue to offer daily flights between Dubai and London Heathrow until 31 March 2019, and will be sad to say goodbye to this fantastic city.”