Virgin Atlantic has announced a trio of new codeshare partnerships to increase connectivity across its route network, as well as the return of its direct London to Tel Aviv services.

The airline will return to Tel Aviv on September 5, 2024, for the first time since October 11, 2023, when flights were suspended following the attacks on Israel by Hamas terrorists.

Flights will operate daily using the airline’s Airbus A330 fleet. The carrier originally began services from London-Heathrow (LHR) to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) in September 2019.  Passengers originating in Tel Aviv will be able to connect via Heathrow 14 US destinations, on 33 daily flights, operated by Virgin Atlantic and its SkyTeam partner Delta Air Lines.

Additionally, a new bilateral codeshare agreement with Israeli national carrier El Al has been announced to accompany the route re-launch. The two airlines will place codes on their respective London-Heathrow to Tel Aviv services, allowing customers from both carriers greater frequencies on the route with up to four daily flights.

The reciprocal partnership will also offer earning and redemption opportunities to frequent flyers of both airlines, as well as premium customer recognition and tier benefits for frequent flyers in both Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Flying Club’ and El Al’s ‘Matmid’ program. In addition to the deal with El Al, a new codeshare with fellow SkyTeam member Saudia has also been launched, in a move that will provide better connectivity between Saudi Arabia and Virgin Atlantic destinations.

Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer, Virgin Atlantic said: “Our return to Tel Aviv on September 5, 2024, will be welcome news for customers who have enjoyed our service since 2019, and this time round it’ll be strengthened by our new codeshare partnership with EL AL”.