British airline Virgin Atlantic decided to suspend direct flights between Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion Airport and London Heathrow, the airline announced on Monday.
"Although we will no longer operate independent flights on this route, we remain committed to serving our customers traveling between Israel and the UK through our codeshare partnership with El Al," a company spokesperson said.
"We apologize for the inconvenience and continue working to provide the highest standard of service during this transition period," they added.
Affected customers who booked their flights directly though Virgin Atlantic will receive email notifications from May 10 onwards, and the cancellation will be reflected in the "My Bookings" section on Virgin Atlantic's website from the same date.
Virgin Atlantic will not resume flights between London Heathrow and Tel Aviv as planned this October. The route is now suspended permanently.Virgin will continue to offer a codeshare to Tel Aviv with EL AL.
— London Air Travel (@LondonAirTravel) April 28, 2025
Virgin Atlantic notably runs a codeshare partnership with Israel's El Al, which it will maintain despite the announcement.
The airline currently provides availability on two daily flights in each direction along the Tel Aviv-London route via a codeshare with El Al. However, these flights are operated by the Israeli airline.
Independently operated Virgin Atlantic flights were originally scheduled to return to Israel in October 2025, according to Israeli media.
Virgin Atlantic's ties with El Al
Virgin Atlantic is the only British airline that has a codeshare with El Al, offering benefits for frequent flyer members of Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club and El Al's Matmid programs, including the ability to earn and redeem points mutually, a reciprocal status recognition, and unique perks for higher-tier members.
The first Virgin Atlantic flight landed in Israel in September 2019, with British billionaire businessman and Virgin Atlantic chairman Sir Richard Branson praising Israel as a country of "great entrepreneurs doing incredible things."
Flight frequencies were affected first by the COVID-19 pandemic and then by the Israel-Hamas War, but currently operate two daily return trips via a codeshare with El Al.