British airline Virgin Atlantic has decided to suspend its Heathrow-Hong Kong services, close its Hong Kong office and not resume flights in March 2023, after 30 years in the Asian city due to issues related to the closure of Russian airspace.
Moscow's invasion of Ukraine has resulted in a suspension of flights and plan longer routes to avoid Russian and Ukrainian airspace, which were already reeling from the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic.
The commercial decision not to resume flights in March 2023 due to significant operational complexities because of the Russian airspace closure has resulted in a significant operational complexities, the airline founded by billionaire Richard Branson said.
Virgin Atlantic had halted flights to Hong Kong since December of last year, and several airlines have not routed flights through Russia's airspace after the invasion of Ukraine.