Riyadh/Islamabad (Khyber Mail) July 9, 2025 — Virgin Atlantic has officially expanded its codeshare partnership with Saudia, the national carrier of Saudi Arabia, to include six key routes between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, effective July 9, 2025. The agreement allows Virgin Atlantic to place its flight code on Saudia-operated services connecting Riyadh and Jeddah with Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore.
The newly codeshared routes are:
- Riyadh – Islamabad
- Riyadh – Karachi
- Riyadh – Lahore
- Jeddah – Islamabad
- Jeddah – Karachi
- Jeddah – Lahore
This move is part of a broader SkyTeam alliance strategy to enhance connectivity across Asia and the Middle East. While Virgin Atlantic does not operate direct flights to Pakistan, this partnership enables its passengers—particularly those traveling from the UK and US via London Heathrow or Manchester—to seamlessly connect to Pakistan through Saudia’s network.
Passengers will benefit from single-ticket booking, through-checked baggage, and frequent flyer mileage accrual across both airlines. Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club members and Saudia’s AlFursan members can earn and redeem points on these routes.