A major airline has removed a route it launched only last year. Virgin Atlantic’s route from Heathrow to Riyadh was meant to be a statement route, but now it is no more. The route was to one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the Middle East – it was operated by an Airbus A330-900 aircraft.

Disruption caused by the war in Iran meant the flight could no longer safely continue. Virgin announced the route to Riyadh Airport as part of its summer 2025 expansion, saying that it would support Saudi Vision 2030 growth, rising UK–Saudi trade, and growing demand for travel between the Kingdom and both the UK and North America.

The route had launched as a daily service on March 30, 2025.

The decision to shut down the route was not immediate, and the announcement came in phases.

Virgin first cancelled selected Riyadh flights in late February during the regional airspace crisis.

It then paused the route until March 25 – after this, an internal Virgin bulletin said the airline had “taken the difficult decision” to cancel Heathrow to Riyadh from April 7.

Dave Geer, chief commercial officer at Virgin Atlantic, indicated when announcing the cancellation that the airline is leaving the flying on the route to its partners: “We have loved flying to Riyadh and are very sorry for the disappointment this change will cause.

“We know this route has been important to many of our customers, and we’re truly grateful for their support.

“We remain committed to the region and will continue to offer connectivity to Saudi Arabia through our partnership with Saudia.”

On Saturday February 28, joint US-Israeli strikes in Iran began and war in the Middle East has continued since.

Concerns have been raised about the ongoing conflict, and the potential for allies to join the fight.

Trump says Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles capable of reaching the US. Operation Epic Fury took place in efforts to topple the Islamic Republic.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been responsible for thousands of deaths of unarmed protesters in Iran in recent weeks, was killed in an Israeli and US air strike.

Since then his regime has launched drones and missiles at the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Israel, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait and tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

The war has since intensified with US military personnel losing their lives in combat, leaving families and the nation heartbroken.