{"id":1394,"date":"2025-04-24T12:05:37","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T12:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/?p=1394"},"modified":"2025-04-29T13:06:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T13:06:42","slug":"virgin-atlantic-launches-uk-airlines-only-flight-from-london-to-futuristic-capital-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/24\/virgin-atlantic-launches-uk-airlines-only-flight-from-london-to-futuristic-capital-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Virgin Atlantic launches UK airline\u2019s only flight from London to \u2018futuristic\u2019 capital city"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tickets are available to buy next month (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Virgin Atlantic<\/a> has launched long-awaited flights to South Korea<\/a>\u2019s most bustling city, Seoul<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From March 29 next year, the airline will operate daily flights to the South Korean capital, marking its expansion to one of Asia\u2019s most popular cities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The airline will be the only British carrier to offer direct flights to South Korea after British Airways<\/a> stopped flights to the country in early 2020 at the start of the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Passengers will fly between London Heathrow<\/a> and Seoul Incheon International Airport via the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, one of the airline\u2019s flagship aircrafts. The journey will take between 12 and 13 hours.<\/p>\n

Tickets will be available to buy from May 14 next month, but prices have not yet been confirmed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The flight is part of Virgin Atlantic\u2019s broader plan to increase its presence in Asia, a region that has seen rapid growth in tourism over the past few years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tSign up to The Getaway newsletter\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration.\u00a0Sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Virgin Atlantic will be the only British carrier to fly directly to South Korea (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The eastward expansion will connect passengers to other popular Asian countries, including Japan, Vietnam and China.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The airline said: \u2018South Korea is a country of contrasts, where ancient palaces brush shoulders with futuristic skyline giants, and peaceful mountain trails back onto city streets alive with energy. And right now, Seoul is in full swing.<\/p>\n

\u2018A creative capital at the cutting edge of K-pop, K-drama, art and fashion, the city is setting global trends while staying rooted in tradition.\u2019<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tWhen is the best time to visit South Korea?\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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The best time to visit South Korea is widely considered to be the spring months between March and May, and autumn, between September and November. While summer is a popular time to visit, it\u2019s known for its hot and humid weather.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the Springtime, you\u2019ll be able to see the vibrant pink cherry blossoms in bloom. There\u2019ll also be clearer skies, less rainfall and a more pleasant temperature.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Virgin Atlantic initially announced plans to fly to Seoul in March 2023 and later confirmed a codeshare pact with Korean Air.\u00a0<\/p>\n

South Korea has soured in popularity recently. Last year, more than 16 million international tourists visited the country, nearly matching pre-pandemic levels.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the country\u2019s capital, Seoul is an obvious draw for tourists. The city saw over 13 million visitors and was recently named one of the top trending destinations for 2025 by TripAdvisor.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty to do, too. From ancient palaces like Gyeongbokgun Palace and hiking up Namsan Mountain to tasting street food at Gwangjang Market or dining at a robot cafe, you\u2019re unlikely to be bored.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Seoul welcomed over 13 million visitors in 2024 (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

British passport holders don\u2019t need a visa to enter either. The usual K-ETA (Korea Electronic Travel Authorisation) has been temporarily ditched until the end of 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Currently, the only other direct flight option between the UK and South Korea is with Korean Air. Tickets are available to buy online from \u00a3852.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Juha Jarvinen, the airline\u2019s chief commercial officer, said: \u2018Virgin Atlantic has long been known as the carrier of choice across the Atlantic, and transatlantic travel remains core to our business.<\/p>\n

\u2018We are incredibly excited to expand our network in the east with the announcement of new services to Seoul starting in March 2026.\u2019<\/p>\n

Virgin has also recently launched new flights to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia<\/a>, as well as five flights a day to India in celebration of 25 years of flying there.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tTop things to do in Seoul, according to Tripadvisor \t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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  1. Gyeongbokgung Palace \u2013 a former royal palace of the Joseon dynasty that was established in 1395.<\/li>\n
  2. Myeongdong Shopping Street \u2013 a busy shopping district famous for its beauty and skincare products.\u00a0<\/li>\n
  3. N Seoul Tower \u2013 a tower with 360-degree views of the city skyline.\u00a0<\/li>\n
  4. Insadong \u2013 a vibrant neighbourhood filled with eateries, traditional shops, galleries and wooden tea houses.\u00a0<\/li>\n
  5. Changdeokgung Palace \u2013 a historic palace featuring serene gardens and traditional architecture.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

    Do you have a story to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Tickets are available to buy next month (Picture: Getty Images) Virgin Atlantic has launched long-awaited flights to South Korea\u2019s most bustling city, Seoul.\u00a0 From March 29 next year, the airline will operate daily flights to the South Korean capital, marking its expansion to one of Asia\u2019s most popular cities.\u00a0 The airline will be the only […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1396,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1394"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1400,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1394\/revisions\/1400"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mugfoundry.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}