Virgin Atlantic has confirmed that it won’t resume its London to Hong Kong service as planned next March.

In a statement, the airline said that ‘after careful consideration’ it was closing its Hong Kong Office after almost 30 years of serving the hub.

“Significant operational complexities due to the ongoing Russian airspace closure have contributed to the commercial decision not to resume flights in March 2023 as planned, which have already been paused since December 2021,” said a spokesperson.

 “Our people and customers in Hong Kong have been amazing since we first touched down at the famous Kai Tak Airport in 1994 and since then we’ve provided important connectivity between the UK and Hong Kong for thousands of customers and supported global supply chains through our cargo operations.

“We’re sorry for the disappointment caused to our loyal customers on this route and anyone booked to travel from March 2023, will be offered a refund, voucher or the option to rebook on an alternative Virgin Atlantic route.” 

The closure of Russian airspace has added about an hour to the flight time to Hong Kong and almost two hours to the return trip to Heathrow.

Virgin said the capacity unlocked by its decision to axe the route will allow it to increase frequencies on other routes next summer.

The airline had already cancelled its Hong Kong-Melbourne and Hong Kong – Sydney services in 2019, which had led to a reduction in the number of connecting customers to and from Australia.