Sir Richard Branson touches down at Pearson to launch return of Virgin Atlantic flights between Toronto and London

Virgin Atlantic says flights between Toronto and London are here to stay after the airline resumed service between the two cities for the first time in a more than a decade. Starting this past Sunday and through the summer, the airline has daily flights between Toronto and London. On board one of the first flights at Pearson Airport Thursday was Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson. He exited the aircraft with much fanfare, flanked by his team along with Canadian and British flags. “We’re just so, so pleased to be back here again,” said Branson at a press conference a short time later. “For some reason or another, it seems a lot of Canadians want to go that direction at the moment and so we’re happy to oblige.” Some airline analysts believe now is a good time to bring back Virgin Atlantic’s London-Toronto route. “It’s summer, so a lot of Canadians are travelling but fewer Canadians are travelling to the U.S. because of the relationship between the two countries,” said McGill University Desautels Faculty of Management Professor, Karl Moore. He said the timing makes sense with demand for flights to the U.S down, while London is a key connector for many other world cities.<br/>