On previous occasions announcing Virgin Atlantic service to Canada, Richard Branson descended from a helicopter in full hockey gear over an ice rink at Toronto’s Harbourfront. Another time, he arrived in aircraft accompanied by an emerging local pop star named Drake. It remains to be seen if Sir Richard will again be on hand and what may be planned when the airline launches service next year between Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and London Heathrow (LHR).
Starting March 30, the carrier – which notably was originally forced to suspend previous Toronto service after 9/11 – will fly daily between the two cities, departing YYZ at 22:10, and LHR at 17:10 with both routes featuring a mix of aircraft including new A330-900neos.
Key details of the announcement include:
- Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Virgin Atlantic’s return to Canada will be the first route to the country in more than a decade
- The route will reinforce the airline’s commitment to the Indian subcontinent and its third largest market with optimal onward connectivity for Canadians travelling to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, as well as Tel Aviv, Lagos, and Johannesburg via London Heathrow
- The airline will expand its commercial partnership with WestJet, creating a seamless travel experience and enhanced customer benefits for connecting passengers
Virgin notes that travellers from Canada will be able to connect to India with double daily flights to Mumbai (BOM) and Delhi (DEL), with average connectivity via London Heathrow at 1 hour 20 minutes.
Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic stated: “We are incredibly excited to be back in Canada and to launch this new service between Toronto and London… Our expansion into The Great White North will complement our services from our US heartland to the UK.
Khalil Lamrabet, interim Chief Operating Officer, Greater Toronto Airports Authority added: “Demand for travel between Toronto and London is strong. In 2023, more than a million passengers flew between the two international cities, making the route our largest long haul international market. We are excited to welcome Virgin Atlantic to Toronto Pearson. This is a big win not only in terms of capacity, but also choice. Virgin Atlantic’s brand experience and onboard product will be an excellent option for our guests flying from, to and beyond London.”
WestJet
In conjunction with the announcement, Virgin Atlantic said it is expanding its partnership with WestJet, which is slated for October this year. The carriers have had an established codeshare partnership since 2019.
Through the expansion, WestJet will sell itineraries including flights operated by Virgin Atlantic from London Heathrow (LHR) to destinations within Virgin Atlantic’s international network for winter 2024/25 – including the new VS flights to Toronto.
WestJet’s expanded codeshare agreement with Virgin Atlantic will be the airline’s first-ever agreement enabling connectivity beyond Europe through London Heathrow, a significant milestone in growing WestJet’s global network to even more destinations through partnerships. Further, this will be the first time that WestJet guests will have access to India, Africa, and the Middle East via a WestJet marketed codeshare as part of its greater network.
Flights will be on sale from June 19 with roundtrip flights starting from CAD $1,101 p.p.