Source: Virgin Atlantic

  • Virgin Atlantic’s first ever South American service will take to the skies from on 13 May 2024
  • Fares starting from £686 person are already being sold

The airline’s exciting new route will fly daily from 13 May 2024, with return Economy fares starting from £686 per person return.  The 11 hr and 55 min flight will operate on a Boeing 787 aircraft and is the first ever route for the airline to the South American continent.

One of the most populous cities in the world, São Paulo is home to multinational businesses, providing corporate customers and business travellers the opportunity to fly in Virgin Atlantic style. The city is famed as the foodie capital of Brazil, a bustling city offering a bounty of arts and cultural experiences, which will enthral experience hungry leisure travellers. Brazil’s position as the number one import and export country in South America will also make São Paulo a popular cargo route. With multiple tonnes of capacity each day, Virgin Atlantic expects to carry regular shipments of car parts, pharmaceuticals, food and agricultural products, contributing to £7.7 billion** in annual trade between the two countries.

São Paulo is considered the gateway to South America and is a key hub in Brazil for Virgin Atlantic’s codeshare partner and South America’s largest airline, LATAM. The partnership provides customers with onward connections to over 50 destinations in South America, including Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Florianopolis as well as offering loyalty accruals and the recently launched redemption options for Flying Club members. Virgin Atlantic’s SkyTeam alliance partner, Aerolineas Argentinas, provides seamless connections from Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires where our Flying Club passengers can also earn and redeem their points. Additionally, Virgin Atlantic customers will be able to travel extensively throughout Brazil connecting onward with GOL and Azul.

Additionally customers travelling from São Paulo to London Heathrow will have the option to smoothly connect onto Virgin Atlantic’s rest of world destinations through Terminal 3 – home of the airline’s award-winning Clubhouse – including Tel Aviv, Delhi, Mumbai and Shanghai.

Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer, Virgin Atlantic, commented: “The countdown has officially begun to our much-anticipated arrival in Sao Paulo. It’s  fitting that our 40th year brings our entry to a brand new continent in South America, symbolising a continued period of network growth for Virgin Atlantic. Sao Paulo is the perfect fit for us, a buzzing metropolis of culture and adventure that suits the differing needs of our rich customer base. Our partnership with LATAM will also unlock further destinations in Brazil and beyond into South America with Skyteam partner Aerolineas Argentinas, opening up a wealth of exciting opportunities for those who choose to fly with Virgin Atlantic.”

In May, the airline announced a series of new and exciting routes, across three continents, as the airline capitalises on sustained demand for international travel.  Alongside Sao Paulo, Bengaluru (Bangalore) will become the airline’s third destination and fourth daily service to India.  Since 2019, Virgin Atlantic has increased capacity to India by 250%, the airline’s largest area of growth outside the United States. Launching in Summer 2024, the addition of this new route means the airline will offer 500,000 seats (total) each year between the UK and India, while its growing partnership  with IndiGo, India’s leading airline, flies to 34 destinations across the country.

To bolster opportunities for customers looking for premium winter sun, the airline is returning to Dubai from October 2023.  There’s also a new seasonal service from June 2024 to Las Vegas from Manchester Airport, the airline’s home in the north.  In total, Virgin Atlantic is adding 250,000 total additional seats across its network, compared to 2019.

** Department for Business and Trade: Total trade in goods and services (exports plus imports) between the UK and Brazil was £7.7 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q4 2022.
Cabin Return fare per person
Economy £ 686
Premium £1126
Upper £2744

Service operates: London Heathrow (LHR) – Sao Paulo (GRU)

Frequency: Daily, year-round, launching 13 May 2024

Flight number: VS193 / VS194

Schedule: LHR-GRU 12:45 – 20:20 and GRU-LHR 22:10 – 13:25

Aircraft: Boeing 787-9

Configuration: 31 Upper Class, 35 Premium, 192 Economy

What’s included: A full service onboard offering including complimentary food and drink and over 300 hours of entertainment (movies, TV and music). All aircraft are WiFi enabled.