(Trinidad Guardian) Virgin Atlantic is back! After a forced break of almost two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK carrier has restarted flights to Tobago as part of a wider resumption of services to the Caribbean. The airline’s first flight to the island arrived yesterday afternoon kicking off a twice-weekly service from London Heathrow. The Airbus 330-300, operating as VS 177, landed at the A.N.R. Robinson International Airport in Crown Point just after 4 pm, almost 50 minutes earlier than scheduled. It is scheduled to depart at 6:50 pm.
Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation Assistant Secretary Megan Morrison along with other THA officials were on hand to welcome passengers to the island. Speaking with Guardian Media, Morrison said the THA is “very excited to have Virgin return” adding that it would be a “boost to the tourism sector.” Passengers and Virgin Atlantic crew were treated to a cultural show complete with dancers, steelpan and drums which Morrison said will be a fixture for all incoming international flights.
The airline will fly to Tobago via Barbados on Tuesdays and Thursdays with an Airbus A330-300 in a 3-class configuration. VS 177 leaves from London Heathrow (LHR) at 9.10 am and arrives in Tobago (TAB) at 5 pm. The leg to Tobago is a tag flight, so there is a short layover in Barbados (BGI). VS 178 is an overnight flight, leaving Tobago at 6:50 pm. It stops to pick up passengers in Barbados, then continues to Heathrow with a scheduled arrival time of 10 am the next day.
Commenting on the restarting of the route, Virgin Atlantic’s Chief Commercial Officer, Juha Jarvinen said the airline was happy to restart flights after having to pause the service at the height of the pandemic. He added that “with delicious food, amazing music and stunning views, we know our British customers will love exploring this unique destination.
We love the incredible culture in Tobago and are excited for our customers to be able to immerse themselves in this extraordinary island. Equally, we can’t wait to welcome customers from Tobago to the UK and beyond, connecting across our global network.”
Virgin Atlantic is also offering one of the most flexible booking policies right now, allowing unlimited free date and flight changes for new bookings, as well as one free name change. Further details are available at virginatlantic.com
