Top News

Virgin Atlantic has cancelled its UK flights to a major holiday destination until at least winter 2027. The airline has""temporarily paused" flights to Dubai until the end of next year, subject to safety assessments and demand.

The move comes amid the severe disruption to global air travel due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Virgin Atlantic currently operates one daily direct flight from London Heathrow to Dubai. The major international has also confirmed that all flights to Seattle will be paused for the winter 2026 season, with operations scheduled to resume in March 2027. A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said the changes to the airline's 2026 winter flying programme were "due to evolving customer demand". They said: "Unfortunately, we have taken the difficult decision to temporarily suspend our seasonal service to Dubai for the winter 2026 season, while services to Seattle will also be temporarily suspended for the winter 2026 season only, before resuming in March 2027.

"Customers can continue to travel to Seattle with our partner Delta Air Lines who will offer daily services from London Heathrow."

"We'd like to apologise to any affected customers and will be contacting them with their options which include rebooking or a refund."

Flights to Cape Town will run every day from October 25 to March 27, with four extra services added on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday during that period.

Johannesburg is set for an even bigger boost, with capacity soaring by 78% thanks to daily flights, plus three additional services on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays across the same timeframe.

In short, both South African routes will see a significant seasonal rampup in frequency.

Virgin Atlantic added: "We look forward to increasing capacity to South Africa with services to Johannesburg rising to 10 flights per week and Cape Town to 11 flights per week, offering customers greater flexibility and connectivity for winter sun to the region."

The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) currently advises against all but essential travel to the United Arab Emirates.