Virgin Atlantic confirms Toronto return ahead of 40th anniversary

The airline will launch a daily Heathrow-Toronto service on 30 March 2025, with fares from £490 return.

The carrier will also expand its codeshare partnership with Canadian carrier WestJet from October this year, allowing connections from Toronto to destinations including Ottawa and Winnipeg. 

Confirmation of the new route comes as the carrier prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary on 22 June. The date commemorates the first departure from Gatwick to Newark in 1984, with fares costing £99 - £311 in today’s money.

The airline can claim a number of firsts, including the introduction of onboard bars and seatback TVs. It also claims to have invented premium economy, although Taiwan’s EVA Air introduced it at around the same time.

Looking ahead, Virgin said that while the US and Caribbean “remains Virgin Atlantic heartland”, it would from 2025 offer over a million seats to India for the first time, a 350% capacity growth since 2019. 

This year, Virgin Atlantic received three new aircraft, two Airbus A350s, from a total of 13 and one Airbus 330neo, from an order of up to 16.

Virgin Atlantic founder Sir Richard Branson said: ““When starting Virgin Atlantic 40 years ago, I went against everyone’s advice. Friends, experts, the press, the pundits – and on paper, they were right. 

“Back then, travelling by plane wasn’t a fun experience, but airlines were allowed to get away with it as no real competition existed.  I realised then that there was a gap to give passengers a great experience – and I love a challenge. The result was our ruby red airline, that shook up aviation.”