Sir Richard Branson said no to Dubai and yes to Tel Aviv as of September 25, 2019when Virgin Atlantic will start service to the Israelis largest city from London Heathrow to Tel Aviv. This happened six months after eliminating LHR-DXB
At just 2,233 miles, it will be easily Virgin Atlantic’s shortest link to and from the UK. The eastbound flight to Tel Aviv is scheduled for just over five hours and the inbound to Heathrow for just under six.
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Despite the short flight time, the new route will tie up an aircraft for a long stretch; with a night stop for the plane in Israel, the initial schedule involves nearly 22 hours between departure and arrival at Heathrow.
The new service is partly aimed at connecting passengers from US airports served by Virgin Atlantic and Delta Airlines. Delta owns 49 percent of Virgin.
Virgin Atlantic is dropping its Heathrow-Dubai service at the end of March 2019 in the face of intense competition from Emirates and British Airways.
