Virgin Atlantic’s South American debut has been pushed back by another year, although the airline says it remains “committed to flying to Brazil.”

The carrier initially announced its intention to begin serving Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) in September 2019, targeting a March 2020 launch. However, the start of the route from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) was halted indefinitely following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The plans were revived in June this year when Virgin outlined proposals to open the route from May 13, 2024, operating daily using Boeing 787-9 aircraft. At the time, the airline said it expected the service to be a popular business and leisure route, as well as attracting strong demand for cargo.

However, the SkyTeam Alliance member has now confirmed that the planned launch has been delayed. Chief Commercial Officer Juha Jarvinen says Sao Paulo “signifies an incredibly exciting opportunity” but admits flights will not take off until the summer 2025 season.

“We regularly review our network to ensure it’s as strong and efficient as possible,” he says. “Following a review of our upcoming flying programme for 2024, we will be moving the start of our highly anticipated Sao Paulo services to 2025. We remain committed to flying to Brazil and look forward to welcoming our business and leisure travelers onboard.”

The London-Sao Paulo market is served by two operators at the present time, with British Airways (BA) and LATAM Airlines Group each flying LHR-GRU daily. BA serves the route using Airbus A350-1000s, while LATAM operates between the cities with 777-300 equipment.

Virgin says it will be in contact with customers affected by the decision to delay the launch of the route.