ISLAMABAD: British airline Virgin Atlantic stopped flight operations to Pakistan as its last flight from Islamabad International Airport, VS379, flew to London Heathrow.
Virgin Atlantic commenced operations at Islamabad Airport in December 2020 with seven weekly flights. It initially operated four flights to Manchester and three to London Heathrow.
Later, the airline started operating three weekly flights only to London Heathrow airport.
In a press statement in February, the airline had maintained that the decision to halt Pakistan operations was not something it takes lightly and offered apologies for any inconvenience caused to its customers while thanking their “customers, teams, partners and the authorities for their support over the past two years”.
A spokesperson for the airline had said that the decision to pull out was followed by a review of the Virgin Atlantic network aimed at “ensuring resources are utilised in the most optimal way to achieve operational resilience”.
“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 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 statement had added.
The airline had also said that its teams “will communicate with any affected customers due to travel after these dates to share their options which include rebooking (if applicable) or a full refund”.
Meanwhile, it cautioned that customers who had made the bookings through agents or other such third parties should contact them to discuss their options.
