On May 1, Virgin Atlantic marked a significant milestone by resuming non-stop flights to mainland China, reinstating its service between London Heathrow (LHR) and Shanghai Pudong (PVG). This development comes more than two years after the airline’s last operation on this route on February 20, 2020, which was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Flight VS 250, operated by a Boeing 787 aircraft registered as G-VBEL and named «Lady Freedom», took off from Heathrow Airport (LHR) at 14:18 local time, bound for Pudong International Airport (PVG).
As per data obtained from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) by Aviacionline, 510,675 passengers traveled between London (LHR) and Shanghai (PVG) in 2019. In this market segment, Virgin Atlantic faces competition from British Airways and China Eastern.
Virgin Atlantic’s Shanghai Flight Schedule
- London/Heathrow – Shanghai/Pudong Flight VS 250 LHR 13:45 – PVG 09:25+1 daily flights.
- Shanghai/Pudong – London/Heathrow Flight VS 251 PVG 11:40 – LHR 19:20 daily flights.
The route is serviced by Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, offering 252 seats across classes (31 Upper Class, 35 Premium Economy, and 198 Economy). Promotional fares start from GBP 432 return.
With Shanghai (PVG) being the primary hub for China Eastern, Virgin Atlantic’s new Skyteam partner, customers now have the option to connect to multiple destinations in mainland China, as well as other locations in Asia and Oceania.
Flying Club members will soon be able to redeem and earn Virgin Points through China Eastern’s frequent flyer program, in addition to other Skyteam partners.
«The restart of our services to Shanghai is an important 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 in restoring our flight schedule to full capacity,» said Juha Jarvinen, Virgin Atlantic’s Chief Commercial Officer.
The return to mainland China complements Virgin Atlantic’s global network, which includes services to the United States, Africa, the Middle East, India, and the Caribbean. The British airline recently doubled its offerings to Tel Aviv (TLV) by operating two daily flights during the summer season and will introduce new flights to the Maldives and the Turks and Caicos Islands for the northern winter.
