The UK-based airline re-commenced its flights from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) on 30 October, with a four-weekly service to cater for the popular winter travel season, operating a Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Eligible Virgin Atlantic customers will also have access to the Marhaba-operated SkyTeam lounge at DXB’s Terminal 1.
In the year 2018 to March 2019, the air services provider’s team provided a warm welcome and assisted almost 180,000 Virgin Atlantic passengers and holidaymakers from over 360 flights between Dubai International and London Heathrow.
Jaffar Dawood, dnata’s Senior Vice President of airport Operations, UAE and MEA, said: "We are delighted to welcome Virgin Atlantic back to Dubai International. Dubai is expected to be extremely busy with travellers keen for some winter sun, and we look forward to once again working with the airline’s local team to provide their customers with a best-in-class, memorable airport experience."
Liezl Gericke, Head of International at Virgin Atlantic, commented: "We’ve long wanted to return to Dubai when the time was right, and we know our customers will be over the moon with the reintroduction of this popular route. Nothing sets our hearts soaring like a new destination or reintroducing an old favourite. We look forward to welcoming our customers back on board, whether travelling for business or leisure or heading back to the United Kingdom to reconnect with friends and family."
Virgin Atlantic has also selected dnata Representation Services to provide a comprehensive range of services to the airline as its general sales agent (GSA) in the UAE. The partnership establishes UAE-based infrastructure for local sales, marketing and distribution support, providing a full range of travel services for Virgin customers flying to and from Dubai.
dnata is a leading global air and travel services provider. Established in 1959, the company offers quality and safe ground handling, cargo, travel, catering and retail services in over 30 countries across six continents. In the financial year 2022-23, dnata’s customer-oriented teams handled over 710,000 aircraft turns, moved over 2.7 million tonnes of cargo, uplifted 111.4 million meals, and recorded a total transaction value (TTV) of travel services of US$ 1.9 billion.
