Virgin Atlantic to launch Heathrow-St Vincent flights

Virgin Atlantic will operate the first flights from Europe to St Vincent next summer, with a service to the Caribbean island launching from Heathrow in June 2021.

The twice-weekly service will operate with the airline’s A330-300 aircraft, which has 31 Upper Class, 48 Premium and 185 Economy Delight, Classic and Light seats.

Juha Jarvinen, chief commercial officer at Virgin Atlantic, said: “St Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as the Caribbean region as a whole, represent an extremely exciting opportunity for us.

“With many islands implementing rigorous Covid-19 protocols including testing before arrival and a short quarantine period for visitors, the islands are open for tourism and are a haven for travellers in search of sun.

“We’re currently flying to Barbados, Antigua, Jamaica and Grenada and expect to restart Tobago in the upcoming months.”

Glen Beache, chief executive of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority, added: “It is only fitting that the most diverse destination in the Caribbean works with one of the best airlines in Europe.

“This partnership will not only change the way in which potential visitors look at us, but it will also play a big role in the number of times the diaspora visit their home yearly.”

Virgin Atlantic resumed passenger services on July 20 and is currently operating to 15 destinations from Heathrow including New York JFK, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Barbados, Johannesburg and Delhi.

Flights to St Vincent are on sale from November 24, 2020.

The service aims to cater for the visiting friends and relatives (VFR) market as well as holidaymakers looking for a Caribbean break which can offer eco-tourism, diving or sailing.