Virgin Atlantic Pulls Riyadh Route Less Than a Year After Launch
Photo Credit: Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson joined the inaugural flight to Riyadh in April 2025. Virgin Atlantic
Skift Take
Unlike Dubai, Virgin has decided to scrap rather than simply suspend its Saudi service – this suggests the challenges go beyond wartime woes.
Virgin Atlantic is abandoning its Riyadh route less than a year after launch – a move that runs counter to the broader industry trend of airlines piling into Saudi Arabia’s capital.
The carrier confirmed it will cancel its London Heathrow–Riyadh link, citing the “evolving situation in the Middle East” and ongoing assessments “based on the latest intelligence, regulatory guidance, demand, and operating costs.”
The decision follows a temporary pause to operations and comes amid heightened regional tensions following the start of the Iran war on February 28.
The timing raises obvious questions, yet even before the conflict, there were signs that the route was struggling commercially.
Loyalty redemptions in Upper Class dropped as low as 28,000 Virgin Points — a huge discount compared to the 80,000–250,000 points typically required for a transatlantic flight of similar length. In airline revenue management circles, that’
