Virgin Atlantic has apologised for the decision to axe weekly direct flights from the UK to Tobago.

The airline will stop its service from Heathrow to ANR Robinson International airport from 11 January 2023.

The Airbus 330-300 flights from Heathrow had only been reinstated since January this year after a break due to COVID restrictions.

A Virgin Airlines spokesperson said: “As customer demand continues to return strongly after the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re making adjustments to upcoming flying schedules to support the ramp up of our operation and to reflect changes in customer demand outlook.

“As a result, during the summer 2023 season, we’ve implemented some changes to service frequencies and aircraft types and unfortunately we’ve taken the commercial decision to end our Heathrow-Tobago flights from January 2023.

“We’d like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and ask customers not to call our contact centre but reassure affected customers that they will be contacted in the coming days with their options.”

Affected customers will be given a voucher, full refund or the option to rebook on alternative services. Virgin is asking people who booked via travel agents to contact their agent directly for options.

The Virgin spokesperson added: “We’d like to sincerely thank our partners in Trinidad and Tobago for all their support over the years. This beautiful destination will always hold a very special place in our hearts.”

The Tobago Tourism Agency (TTA) said Virgin Atlantic flights from Heathrow were ‘no longer financially viable’ as the airline had not performed as well as other carriers to the island.

TTA Executive Chair Alicia Edwards said: “We are confident we will be able to revisit a relationship with [Virgin Airlines] in the future.”