Virgin Atlantic to Suspend Flights to Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan

(23/02/23)  Virgin Atlantic has confirmed that it will suspend flights between London Heathrow (LHR) and both Lahore (LHE) and Islamabad (ISB) in Pakistan.

The airline's last flight between London Heathrow and Lahore is now scheduled to take off on 30 April with the last flight in the opposite direction set for 1 May.

Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 reg: G-VNEW. Picture by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com

Virgin's final flight between Heathrow and Islamabad is slated to depart on 8 July, with the return leg scheduled for 9 July 2023.

“As we continue to ramp up our flying programme in 2023, we’ve taken the opportunity to review our entire network and decided to make a few changes," said a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson. “Following this review, it is with regret that we’ve taken the difficult decision to suspend our services between London Heathrow and Pakistan. Since commencing operations in December 2020, we have been proud to offer choice for customers travelling between London and Manchester [also now suspended] in the UK, and Islamabad and Lahore in Pakistan. During that time, we have also provided important cargo capacity, as well as delivering vital medical supplies."

The airline has indicated that it will communicate to any customers who will be affected by the cancellations as to provide them options, which include rebooking, where applicable, or a full refund.

“This is not a decision we have taken lightly, and we’d like to apologise for any inconvenience caused,” added the carrier's spokesperson.

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