Virgin Atlantic delays Israel, Ghana flights on engine hold-ups

Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. said it’s been forced to delay the restart of its services to Israel and a new route to Ghana due to hold-ups in the delivery of engines from Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc.

Services to Tel Aviv will resume after October next year [2025], instead of the original target of March, while flights to Ghana will be pushed back to around the same time from May, the company said in an emailed statement. The airline will contact customers starting Monday to discuss their options, including rebooking travel.

“It’s been necessary to make these changes due to reduced availability of Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines, which are fitted to our Boeing 787-9 aircraft,” a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said in the statement.

Other carriers facing similar delays include IAG SA, the owner of British Airways, which reported last week that it had also been forced to ground some of its fleet and scrap some long-haul routes.

The carrier made further cuts to its schedule for next summer, including the removal of Bahrain and Kuwait from its network, the suspension of services to Dallas and a reduction in flights to Miami.

The UK engine manufacturer has said its production has been disrupted by supply chain issues, at a time when a surge in long-haul travel is boosting demand for engines and their maintenance. Virgin Atlantic said it’s working with Rolls-Royce to minimize the disruption.