On Sunday, Scotland’s only direct flight to the Caribbean, carrying passengers and cargo, touched down for the first time.
Virgin Atlantic’s new route (VS223) connects Edinburgh to Barbados via one of the airline’s Airbus A330s.
The new twice weekly service from Edinburgh will operate on Sundays and Wednesdays. The flight will be operated by the airline’s Airbus A330.
As well as flying customers, Virgin Atlantic will offer a cargo service presenting new opportunities for companies looking to export high value goods such as salmon and whisky.
The new Edinburgh service marks the first time Virgin Atlantic has flown international flights from the Scottish capital in its 37-year history and is Scotland’s only direct flight from the Caribbean.
Virgin Atlantic said the new service aims to capture the pent-up demand to visit and reconnect with family and loved ones as well as sun-seekers looking to explore the beautiful Caribbean destination.
Juha Jarvinen, chief commercial officer at Virgin Atlantic, said: “Commencing international flights from Edinburgh marks an exciting new chapter for Virgin Atlantic and we couldn’t be happier to be flying from a new home in Scotland.”
Barbados also allows for easy onward connections to the wider Caribbean with links to Grenada, St Vincent and Tobago available with Virgin Atlantic, alongside flights with Virgin Atlantic’s interline partner, Caribbean Airlines.
