Virgin Atlantic plans to launch new daily flights to Seoul, South Korea from March 29, 2026, creating new East Asian connections to Japan, Greater China, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand.
Seoul builds on the airline’s expansion Eastwards, following routes to Dubai and the Maldives, as well as growth in India with five daily services to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Virgin Atlantic flights will take place on the Boeing 787-9 and will go on sale on May 14, 2025.
Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic has touched down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marking the airline’s first ever flying into the Kingdom. The new daily service to King Khalid International Airport will capitalise on business expected from the ambitious Saudi Vision 2030. In partnership with Saudia, flights can connect customers on to the UNESCO World Heritage sites of historical Jeddah, the gateway to Mecca, Al Ula, Damman, Hima, as well as the resorts in the Red Sea.
Alongside business travellers, the route will serve the VFR market, which has seen a fivefold increase in Saudis living in the UK between 2000 and 2018.
Riyadh is also home to the airline’s SkyTeam partner, Saudia and this partnership offers onward connections to Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi in Pakistan. Virgin Atlantic said that it also looks forward to deepening its partnership with Riyadh Air, when it takes to the skies in 2025. In September 2024, Virgin Atlantic signed a Strategic Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding, with the goal of introducing an array of benefits for customers traveling between London, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and beyond.
Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer commented: “Whilst Virgin Atlantic has long been known as the carrier of choice across the Atlantic and transatlantic travel remains core to our business, we are incredibly excited to expand our network in the east with the announcement of new services to Seoul starting in March 2026. Building on new flying to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, five flights a day to India, as well as our seasonal leisure services to The Maldives and Dubai, we’re delighted to offer customers the opportunity to fly in style to a wide range of destinations.
“Providing seamless connections to our customers is a real focus and by leveraging the power of our commercial cooperation with Korean Air, Saudia, IndiGo and Riyadh Air, customers can trust Virgin Atlantic to connect them to where they need to be, enjoying a premium customer experience, delivered by our amazing crew.”