Article from BTNews 2 JULY 2018
Business routes axed
Two important business routes have fallen victim to growing long-haul competition with Virgin Atlantic saying it will withdraw flights between Dubai and Heathrow from 31 March 2019 and British Airways suspending its Gatwick – Oakland service for next summer.
Virgin said after conducting a thorough review of its network it had made the “difficult decision” to stop flying between Dubai and London “due to a combination of external factors which mean it is no longer economically viable”.
Chef commercial officer Shai Weiss added: “It‘s never an easy decision to withdraw a route, and we’d like to thank our customers and dedicated team in Dubai for their loyalty over the last 12 years. We will be sad to say goodbye to this fantastic city.”
Virgin’s daily flights on the route will continue to operate until 31 March as planned, with new bookings still available until the last flight.
Meanwhile, BA confirmed the suspension of its service for next summer between Gatwick and Oakland, an alternative gateway to the San Francisco area.
The route started in March last year and was originally planned to be a year-round service. In April this year, BA said flights for winter 2018-19 would be suspended until March next year, but the airline said last week this plan has now been dropped.
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Stephen Hillcoat, Turkey
Let’s be honest here - very few airlines will be able to compete with the big beast that is Emirates. It may not be a level playing field (issues of Govt subsidies etc,.) but the problem is only going to get worse over time as the airline expands. Dubai is, I fear, just the start!