PM Secures Virgin Atlantic Direct London-Phuket Route
Virgin Atlantic will launch its first Southeast Asia route with three weekly flights from London Heathrow to Phuket starting October 18, after PM Anutin secured the deal during a UK visit. Advance bookings have already exceeded expectations
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visited the United Kingdom on 25-26 September 2025 following the 81st UN General Assembly in New York. During his visit, he presided over an Afternoon Reception attended by over 50 senior government and private sector representatives from the UK, and held one-on-one business discussions with executives from UBS Group AG, Virgin Atlantic, and Rolls-Royce at London's Dorchester Hotel.
During these talks, PM Anutin and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkhao met with Virgin Atlantic's Chief Commercial Officer Dave Geer and Head of Government and Industry Affairs Graeme Elliot to promote aviation cooperation between the UK and Thailand. Virgin Atlantic will launch its first Southeast Asia route, operating three flights weekly from London Heathrow to Phuket from 18 October 2025 to 26 March 2026, providing 774 seats per week. The airline confirmed that advance seat bookings have exceeded expectations, reflecting strong demand from British travellers for Thai tourism during the upcoming season. The PM also discussed opportunities to expand or add additional routes to Thailand in the future to strengthen connectivity between the two nations and tap the significant UK tourism market.
Virgin Atlantic is a leading full-service long-haul carrier connecting the UK to over 200 destinations worldwide, including North America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. The new Thailand route will provide British tourists with additional flight options and help boost visitor numbers from the UK, a key tourism market. Phuket will serve as the primary destination while also distributing tourists to other regional attractions.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has been continuously promoting the market alongside Virgin Atlantic to boost travel bookings for late 2025 and early 2026 through online media campaigns and joint promotional retail activations at Virgin Atlantic Holidays branches in major UK shopping centres. These efforts have already generated over 9,000 seat reservations.
