British carrier Virgin Atlantic launched a seasonal winter service on October 30, operating four flights a week

To capitalise on the rising demand for leisure travel between the two cities, British airline Virgin Atlantic, which began flights between London Heathrow and Dubai this week, said on Monday that it will increase to a daily service starting in 2019. On October 30, it began offering four flights per week as part of a seasonal winter service. From October 2024 to March 2025, it intends to grow to daily service.

Virgin Atlantic, owned by billionaire Richard Branson, stopped offering flights to Dubai in March 2019. With approximately 2.697 million seats, London-Dubai is one of the busiest air routes and was listed as the fourth busiest global air route in 2022 by OAG statistics. After Jeddah, it was also the second busiest route for Dubai Airport.

Airlines are opening more routes as the aviation industry continues to revive at an exponential rate. As the emirate solidifies its status as a major international aviation hub, airlines such as Air India, Air Canada, Cyprus Airways, Maldives-based Beond, and several more have added Dubai to their expanding roster of new destinations. The UK airline stated on Monday that it "hopes to capitalise on the growing demand for upscale winter sun vacations." Additionally, it will connect long-haul passengers to locations throughout North America via London Heathrow, departing from Dubai.