Virgin Atlantic Returns to Accra, Launches New Service to Riyadh

From London Heathrow, Virgin Atlantic will add two new destinations of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Accra, Ghana to its network for summer 2025.  

Return to Accra, Ghana 

Virgin Atlantic will return to Ghana for the first time since 2013, with daily flights to Kotoka International Airport in the nation’s capital, Accra, from May 2025.  The airline will provide much needed competition on the route, which currently lacks a choice of routes between the two countries.    

The UK is home to the third largest Ghanaian diaspora in the world and the new service will respond to demand to visit friends and relatives. Around 10% of customers are also expected to connect through London onto Virgin Atlantic’s New York JFK service.  

Launching on 1 May 2025, the daily service will operate on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft boasting the airline’s Upper Class, Premium and Economy Delight, Classic and Light cabins, as well as an onboard bar.

Accra is expected to be a very strong cargo route and Virgin Atlantic will offer 30 tonnes of capacity on each flight carrying goods, such as fresh produce, between Ghana and key markets in the UK and US. 

New route to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 

For the first time, the airline will launch a daily service to King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with the first flight departing London Heathrow on 30 March 2025. Flights to Riyadh will operate daily on the state-of-the-art Airbus A330neo, the newest aircraft in Virgin Atlantic’s fleet.

Virgin Atlantic will offer 30 tonnes of cargo capacity on each flight for companies looking to export and import goods, such as fresh produce and specialised goods, including pharmaceuticals, between Riyadh and prime markets in the UK and US. 

Riyadh is the perfect base to explore cultural attractions across this vast country including the UNESCO World Heritage sites of historical Jeddah, the gateway to Mecca, Al Ula, Al Ahsa, and the stunning Rock Art in Hima.

Alongside business travellers, the route will serve the ‘visiting friends and relatives’ (VFR) market, which has seen a fivefold increase in Saudis living in the UK between 2000 and 2018.