SALM TEAM 
Virgin Atlantic is delighted to announce a major boost to its popular Cape Town to London Heathrow seasonal route, offering travellers more choice, more capacity, and more destinations than ever before. The extended 2025/2026 season will now run from 13 October 2025 to 19 April 2026, adding over 17,000 additional seats. Alongside new, optimised overnight flight times, Cape Town customers will now enjoy seamless same-day connections via Heathrow to all of Virgin Atlantic’s US destinations, including New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Orlando.
From 26 October 2025 through 28 March 2026, the route will operate with a newly optimised double overnight schedule designed for greater comfort, better rest, and smoother onward connections. These timings have been carefully aligned with Virgin Atlantic’s Johannesburg operations to maximise convenience for travellers across South Africa.
Updated double overnight schedule:
- VS 478 departs London Heathrow at 22:30, arriving in Cape Town at 12:10 (+1)
- VS 479 departs Cape Town at 21:55, arriving in London Heathrow at 07:45 (+1)
To meet high demand during the holiday period, Virgin Atlantic will also operate a special Easter peak extension from 29 March to 19 April 2026, with daily flights continuing beyond the main season.
All Cape Town flights will be operated by the airline’s modern Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, featuring the award-winning Upper Class, Premium, and Economy Light, Classic, and Delight cabins. Passengers can enjoy in-seat entertainment, Wi-Fi connectivity, and Virgin Atlantic’s renowned service across all cabins.
Marc Harding, Country Manager for Virgin Atlantic in South Africa commented “We’re incredibly proud to be enhancing our Cape Town service with an extended season, more convenient overnight flight times, and additional capacity. Not only will these changes give customers more seats, more flexibility, and even better connections through Heathrow, but Cape Town travellers will now be able to seamlessly connect onto all of our US destinations – including New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Orlando – making it easier than ever to travel between South Africa, the UK, and the United States.”
This announcement follows the success of the 2024/2025 season and reflects Virgin Atlantic’s long-term commitment to the South African market. With the combination of extended operations, over 17,000 extra seats, and refined departure and arrival times, Virgin Atlantic is making it easier than ever for customers to enjoy both business and leisure travel between Cape Town, London, and beyond.
Cape Town service on sale now. Visit www.virginatlantic.com for more information and to book.
