Virgin Atlantic is eyeing a considerable expansion into Pakistan with the announcement of three new routes. The routes will operate from both London and Manchester, and come after the airline significantly cut its network when dealing with a drop in demand earlier this year.
Airlines around the world are reevaluating their networks to deal with a drop in demand that is expected to last until at least 2024. While most airlines are dropping routes, some are increasing the services on offer. One of the reasons behind new routes is the lucrative cargo business, which has seen capacity plummet as a result of the cancellation of passenger flights.
Virgin Atlantic will be launching three new routes into Pakistan. Two will originate from London, with the third starting in Manchester, the UK’s third busiest airport. Flights from London will start at London Heathrow as Virgin scrapped its London Gatwick home earlier this year. These will operate to Lahore to the east of the country, in addition to Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.