Virgin Atlantic has relaunched its services to Shanghai, re-establishing its business and leisure connections between the United Kingdom and China.
The daily service will resume today, May 1, 2023, with fares starting from GBP432 per person. The move comes after a relaxation in travel restrictions between the two countries, which sees the borders reopening to foreign nationals for the first time since December 23, 2020.
Following the restart announcement earlier this year, there has been strong demand for both business and leisure travel in both directions.
Known as China’s primary hub of modernity, innovation and futurism, Shanghai is today one of the world’s most promising cities. The city also offers UK tourists a melting pot of culture, from Pudong district’s futuristic skyline, the world-famous waterfront promenade, the Bund, to the traditional pavilions in Yu Gardens.
Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic, commented: ‘The restart of our services to Shanghai is a major milestone for Virgin Atlantic. Shanghai was the first of our routes to be suspended in 2020 at the start of the global pandemic and the last to return, making it the final piece to restore our flying programme to full capacity.
‘After such a long hiatus, we’re looking forward to welcoming our customers back to Shanghai and providing vital links to one of the UK’s largest trading partners, for both passenger and cargo services.’
Virgin Atlantic’s Shanghai flights will continue to operate on a Boeing 787-9. Customers travelling to China will need to show proof of a negative PCR test before they enter the country, alongside a health declaration form.
Shanghai is also a hub to the airline’s new SkyTeam partner, China Eastern. Offering a wide range of connections throughout China and beyond, Virgin Atlantic customers will be able to connect to onward services. Flying Club members will soon be able to earn and redeem Virgin Points across China Eastern’s flying programme, alongside other SkyTeam partners.
