Virgin Atlantic Celebrates 25 Years of Connecting India to the World

Virgin Atlantic is proudly celebrating 25 years of flying to India, emphasizing its ongoing commitment to expanding its presence in the region. Since launching its inaugural service between London Heathrow and Delhi in July 2000, India has become the airline’s third-largest global market. Currently, Virgin Atlantic operates five daily flights from Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, offering a total of one million seats per year—reflecting a remarkable 350% growth since 2019.

To honor this significant milestone, Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss and Chief Commercial Officer Juha Jarvinen joined local crew members at a celebratory event at India Gate on May 31.

Virgin Atlantic’s long-haul services feature seamless connectivity and a premium travel experience aboard the airline’s state-of-the-art Airbus A350 aircraft. Approximately 40% of Indian passengers connect through London Heathrow to North American destinations, including the airline’s newest route to Toronto, alongside popular cities like Seattle, San Francisco, and New York JFK.

Strengthening its footprint in India, Virgin Atlantic has partnered with IndiGo—India’s largest airline—to provide access to 34 domestic destinations such as Varanasi, Amritsar, Srinagar, Goa, and Lucknow. Since the partnership’s launch in September 2023, over 200,000 passengers have flown on joint codeshare routes.

Continuing its investment in customer experience, Virgin Atlantic has recently expanded its India-based cabin crew. Now, each flight to India includes an average of three Indian crew members who speak Hindi and regional languages—double the number from early 2024. Additionally, UK-based crew have received cultural sensitivity training to better cater to the preferences and expectations of Indian travelers.

Shivani Singh Deo, India Country Manager at Virgin Atlantic, said, “We couldn’t be prouder of all Virgin Atlantic has achieved in our 25 years of flying to India, growing our offering from zero to one million seats and expanding from Delhi to Mumbai and Bengaluru. Our premium service offers a brilliantly different experience to the market, offering seamless connections to Canada, USA and beyond via London Heathrow, as well as throughout India by leveraging the power of our commercial cooperation with IndiGo. We look forward to welcoming many more customers over the next 25 years, surprising and delighting them with our onboard service with extra Indian touches, delivered by our amazing crew.”