Virgin Atlantic to cancel Riyadh service

Sign up to our newsletters

Stay informed with the
latest news and analysis

عربي

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Virgin Atlantic has cancelled its Heathrow-Riyadh service because of the “evolving” situation in the Middle East.

The carrier announced in a statement that it “continues to make dynamic assessments to its flying programme” and as a result, it has “taken the difficult decision to cancel” the Saudi Arabian route.

Customers booked to travel to Riyadh will be contacted with available options, including rebooking onto an alternative carrier or receiving a refund.

Virgin Atlantic will continue to serve Saudi Arabia through its codeshare and SkyTeam partner, Saudia, which operates services between Heathrow, Riyadh and Jeddah, as well as Manchester to Jeddah.

The airline paused Riyadh flights on 7 March 2026 as the UK’s Foreign Office continues to advise against all but essential travel to Riyadh.

The airline spokesperson said the carrier is planning to return to Dubai for winter 2026–27 season, subject to safety assessment and provided there is sufficient demand.

The network revision means that extra services are being added elsewhere for summer 2026.

Etihad and Qatar Airways ease loyalty programme requirements

In India, Virgin Atlantic will increase services to Bengaluru from seven to 13 flights per week. This complements double-daily, year-round services to Mumbai and Delhi.

Capacity to Mumbai will also increase, with the VS358/359 flights operating on an A350 aircraft, rather than a B787, adding 30% more seats.

As demand returns to Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa, services to Montego Bay will increase from four flights per week to daily from 1 June 2026 throughout the summer season.

Services to Las Vegas will also grow, increasing from seven to 10 flights per week from 31 August, driven by strong demand in September and October.

Dave Geer, Chief Commercial Officer, 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.

“We’re pleased to be offering increased flying to our three largest markets – the USA, Caribbean and India – to help meet this demand.

“We remain committed to the region and will continue to offer connectivity to Saudi Arabia through our partnership with Saudia.”

For more information, visit www.virginatlantic.com