Virgin Atlantic are ready to launch its first service to South America. Starting from next year, the British carrier will start flying to Sao Paulo. The new route to Brazil will place Virgin in direct competition with British Airways and LATAM.

The news comes as Virgin is poised to unveil its new business class seat. The new seat, which is expected to be a suite, will be installed on the carrier’s A350-1000 aircraft which are slated to begin deliveries later this year.

Boeing 787 route

The new route will use a Boeing 787 aircraft, flying daily between Heathrow and Guarulhos, Sao Paulo.

The route is aimed at passengers wishing travel for a holiday, as such the aircraft will feature up to three different cabin classes.

Virgin Sao Paulo
A schedule is yet to be set for Virgin Atlantic flights to Sao Paulo. Photo: Skeeze via Pixabay

Virgin Holidays will begin working with suppliers in the Sao Paulo region of Brazil in order to help the group capitalise on these flights.

Speaking of the new route, Juha Jarvinen, Virgin Atlantic Executive Vice President of Commercial, said: “There are a significant number of corporate customers and multinational businesses located in this Powerhouse of South America, who can now enjoy the Virgin Atlantic experience on this busy international route.”

She went on to add: “This is a prime opportunity for Virgin Holidays who are busy securing a range of ancillary partners and diverse accommodation options for those customers seeking a full-service holiday offering.”

BA vs Virgin Atlantic

Bizarrely, it almost seems as if like Virgin Atlantic are deliberately stimulating competition with British Airways, particularly in light of recent announcements.

Let's start with the new Club World seat which will be coming to British Airways. Exactly three weeks after BA launched this new hard product, Virgin will release its first glimpse of the new Upper Class seat to invited members of the press.

Virgin Sao Paulo
Three airlines operate between Heathrow and Sao Paulo. Source: GCMaps

The competition doesn't stop at just seats either. Just yesterday, British Airways were announcing a new incredibly short BA route, with a B777 flying from Bahrain to Dammam. Now, 24 hours after the British Airways announcement, Virgin has launched this Sao Paulo route.

Virgin Atlantic will join British Airways and LATAM, who are themselves Oneworld partners, in operating the route between Heathrow and Sao Paulo.

And of course, don't forget, that both carriers will receive their first A350-1000 aircraft this summer. British Airways will begin services on the 1st of October with the type, and Virgin should receive their aircraft about a month before BA. The first Virgin A350 will operate between London and Newark from 9th September.

Would you fly to Sao Paulo with Virgin? Let us know in the comments down below!