Virgin Atlantic Launches New Routes to the Maldives and Turks and Caicos

SkyTeam loyalists long lamenting the lack of airlift to the Maldives have relief on the horizon.

Virgin Atlantic announced in September that it will join the SkyTeam Alliance and now they're launching two new routes in 2023: London Heathrow to the Maldives and London Heathrow to Turks and Caicos.

Previously, SkyTeam members were limited to flying to the Maldives via multiple connections on Air France flights between November and March. Now, they'll also be able to book Virgin Atlantic, which will fly on a thrice-weekly seasonal schedule.

As for Turks and Caicos, that route will be flown twice weekly throughout the year. The destination joins Virgin Atlantic's growing network of Caribbean routes, which most recently expanded to the Bahamas and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Both the new Maldives and Turks and Caicos routes will be flown by the Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which can carry 258 passengers across its Upper Class, Premium, and Economy cabins.

"We couldn't be more thrilled to add these two exotic new routes to our flying portfolio," said Juha Jarvinen, Virgin Atlantic's chief commercial officer, in a statement. "Nothing sets our hearts soaring like a new destination to explore, so with two about to join our network, there's only really one question. Where to first?"

Though the starting prices for each route have not yet been announced, the Maldives flights will go on sale on Nov. 30, 2022, with the Turks and Caicos flights following on Jan. 11, 2023. The Maldives route will commence on Oct. 22, 2023, while the Turks and Caicos route will commence on Nov. 15, 2023.

Virgin Atlantic has, however, announced the starting price of a seven-day holiday package to the Maldives that includes both economy airfare and a stay at the Hard Rock Maldives with breakfast: 2,359 GBP (about $2,800) per person, based on double occupancy.