Virgin Atlantic Launches Flights Between London Heathrow and Tel Aviv

On 25 September 2019, we launched our first scheduled service between London Heathrow and Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, introducing a new destination to our international network. The daily, non-stop route was operated by an Airbus A330-300, with Upper Class, Premium and Economy cabins, and a flight time of approximately five hours. The new service was designed to serve both business and leisure travellers, providing a direct connection between the UK and Israel. It also offered passengers travelling from Tel Aviv convenient onward connections through London Heathrow to destinations across North America, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, using our own services and those of our joint venture partner Delta Air Lines. At launch, the route was expected to provide more than 180,000 seats annually. It also created opportunities for our cargo business, particularly for transporting fresh produce and technology products between Israel, the UK and North America. The first flight arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on the evening of 25 September, following a departure ceremony at Heathrow attended by passengers and airline representatives. The introduction of Tel Aviv expanded our network beyond our established long-haul markets and provided an additional direct travel option between London and Israel.