Virgin Atlantic Adds 2 New Routes to Accra and Riyadh

Updated: September 2, 2024, 1:59pm CDT

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Fly Virgin to Accra and Riyadh via London
Final Thoughts

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Virgin Atlantic is adding routes to the Middle East and Africa, diversifying its North America-focussed route network.

New daily routes to Accra, Ghana (ACC) and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (RUH) will start in 2025.

The announcement comes not long after the London-based airline prepares its first-ever route to Canada in March 2025.

“We look forward to launching these new routes in 2025, introducing the iconic, inclusive Virgin Atlantic brand, award-winning experience and our amazing people to new customers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ghana and Toronto,” said Juha Jarvinen, chief commercial officer at Virgin Atlantic.

Here are the details.

Fly Virgin to Accra and Riyadh via London

Thanks to Virgin’s extensive U.S. route network, passengers will be able to connect in London and onto the new daily services to Accra, Ghana and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh will be the first of the 2 new services to launch on March 30, 2025.

Boasting Virgin’s best business class seats, the airline has opted to deploy its state-of-the-art Airbus A330-900neo on the route. This is likely due to most travel between the 2 cities being for business purposes.

Virgin Atlantic Retreat Suite — All smiles sitting in Virgin Atlantic’s Retreat Suite. Image Credit: Daniel Ross

A couple of months later, on May 1, 2025, Virgin will restart its nonstop service to Accra after a 13-year hiatus.

This time, Virgin will fly its older Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft on the route, which the airline believes will be very popular with leisure travelers wishing to connect onto or from 1 of Virgin’s many daily JFK services.

Hot Tip:

If you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for Virgin’s Flying Club loyalty program to earn and redeem points on these flights.

Tickets for both routes will go on sale on September 12, 2024.

Virgin has yet to add Accra and Riyadh to its award chart. We would expect Accra redemptions to cost the same as Lagos, Nigeria from 25,000 in economy, 45,000 in premium, and 115,000 in Upper Class for round-trip bookings in low season.

The jury’s out as to how Virgin will price its redemptions to and from Riyadh. Distance-wise, it sits between 2 zones: Isreal as the closest destination and Dubai and India which are significantly further afield.

As it stands, the only nonstop option to Riyadh from the U.S. is with Saudia from New York City (JFK) and Washington, D.C. (IAD).

As for Accra, Virgin’s close partner and fellow SkyTeam member airline Delta operates a nonstop service from JFK to the Ghanaian capital, while United operates a nonstop service from D.C. (IAD).

Final Thoughts

Undoubtedly, Virgin’s main market is the U.S., but these new routes show signs that the airline is looking to expand its reach and provide more global connectivity for its passengers through its hub at London Heathrow (LHR). Starting in 2025, the airline will add service to Accra and Riyadh on top of its previous announcement of service to Toronto.