Fans of Brazil’s coxinha, cassava chips and the frankly delicious Pão de queijo have reason to celebrate, as Virgin Atlantic has announced it will begin a new service to Sao Paulo from 2020 – its first South American route.
Tickets for the new service, which will fly from London Heathrow to Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport, go on sale later this year and run daily year-round with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, configured for 31 Upper Class seats, with 35 in Premium, and 192 in economy. The flight will take 11 hours, 55 minutes.
Until now, Sao Paulo has only been served by British Airways and it’s OneWorld codeshare partner, LATAM, which between them offer more than a dozen flights a week to the city. Increased competition usually spells good news for customers in the form of better prices, so look out for deals once the tickets go on sale.
As Brazil’s fastest growing city and a commercial hub, this new route to Sao Paulo has obvious appeal to business travellers with interests in South America, but there is also much to attract the holidaymaker as well. The Amazon rainforest and Brazil’s spectacular Iguaçu Falls are accessible from the city for those looking for some adventure, while in the city itself there’s the Museu de Arte to enjoy, the Museu do Futebul, Ibirapuera Park and the Catedral da Sé – as well as dozens of flea and street markets bursting with Brazilian colour, culture and cuisine.
Virgin Atlantic’s Sao Paulo service announcement comes hot on the heels of confirmation that it will also start its first ever flights to Tel Aviv in September 2019. The airline hasn’t yet said when tickets to Sao Paulo will go on sale or when the flights will commence in 2020, but watch this space for when they do as it’s bound to be a popular flight.
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