Virgin Atlantic announces second daily JNB service

Virgin Atlantic has announced plans to operate a second daily service between Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport and Heathrow, starting October 28.

The new second daily flight, VS461, will depart Heathrow at 16h45 and arrive in Johannesburg at 05h40 the next day. Return flight VS462 will depart Johannesburg at 22h20, arriving at Heathrow at 07h30 the following morning.

The new service follows South African Airways’ decision to drop one of its two daily flights between Heathrow and Johannesburg from April 20. Liezl Gericke, head of Middle East and Africa for Virgin Atlantic said: “This new service is proof of our commitment to supporting the country’s ambitious tourism and trade agenda, whilst supporting our local partners to flourish in this period of growth. With an additional 188 000 seats annually between Johannesburg and London, we are contributing to the 9% annual growth the air travel market expected to be seen between the UK and South Africa in the first quarter.”

The flight will be operated by a 258-seat Boeing 787-9 aircraft, with 31 seats in Upper Class; 35 in premium economy; 36 Economy Delight seats; and 156 in economy class.