Virgin Atlantic has launched its long-awaited new flights between London Heathrow and the South Korean capital Seoul.
The UK carrier’s daily service to Seoul’s Incheon Airport started on Sunday (29 March). The route has been made possible through the reallocation of slots at Heathrow following the merger of Korean Air and Asiana in 2024.
In another update, Virgin has confirmed that it has terminated its route from Heathrow to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, which was only launched in April 2025, due to the “evolving situation in the Middle East”.
Dave Geer, chief commercial officer at Virgin Atlantic, said: “We have loved flying to Riyadh and are very sorry for the disappointment this change will cause. We know this route has been important to many of our customers, and we’re truly grateful for their support.”
The airline has also added more flights to several destinations this summer, including an increase in services from Heathrow to Bengaluru, which will rise from seven to 13 flights per week. Seat capacity on the Heathrow-Mumbai route will also increase by using larger Airbus A350 aircraft.
Other changes to the summer 2026 schedule include adding extra flights from London to Las Vegas, which will go up from seven to 10 flights per week from 31 August, due to “strong demand” in September and October.