U.K.-based airline Virgin Atlantic will officially launch its new nonstop route between London and Vancouver on May 24.
Expected to join the inaugural flight – due to touch down at Vancouver International Airport at 1:10 pm – is Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Group. Flights will depart from Heathrow Airport four times a week between May 24 and October 27, with an estimated 40,000 passengers projected to use the service during its first season.
The new route is expected to increase capacity from the U.K. to Vancouver by 10 percent and add $54 million in annual revenue to Vancouver’s tourism market.
