Following a strategic review and "realignment" of its investment in airlift, the Tobago Tourism Agency (TTA) said the return on investment of the publicly-funded airlift subsidy it has been paying Virgin had steadily deteriorated to the point it was now "no longer financially viable".

Virgin Atlantic will cease operating its weekly direct flight from Heathrow to ANR Robinson International airport in Tobago from 11 January 2023.

TTA executive chair Alicia Edwards said that although it had been a difficult decision, the subsidy could not be justified in the current operating climate "as Virgin’s flight had not performed as well as other carriers for the region".

"The return on investment for the Virgin Atlantic airlift subsidy funded by the public sector has been deteriorating steadily over the years, to the point where the renewal of their contract could not be logically defended and executed," said Edwards.

"In reassessing our destination’s tourism product, the state of the industry post-pandemic and other tangible considerations, destination Tobago is not the best fit for a partnership with Virgin at this time."

Edwards did, though, leave the door open for Virgin to return. "The agency, and by extension the destination, is grateful to the Virgin team for their tenure of the partnership," she said. "And we are confident we will be able to revisit a relationship with them in the future."

Tobago currently has multiple airlift options from the UK and Europe. These include a twice-weekly Gatwick-Tobago service operated by British Airways, as well as a five-times-weekly Gatwick-Port of Spain (Trinidad) service, also operated by BA, with a 20-minute Caribbean Airlines connection.

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson: “As customer demand continues to return strongly after the Covid-19 pandemic, we’re making adjustments to upcoming flying schedules to support the ramp up of our operation and to reflect changes in customer demand outlook.

"As a result, during the summer 2023 season, we’ve implemented some changes to service frequencies and aircraft types and unfortunately we’ve taken the commercial decision to end our Heathrow-Tobago flights from 11 January 2023. We’d like to sincerely thank our partners in Trinidad and Tobago for all their support over the years. This beautiful destination will always hold a very special place in our hearts."

The spokesperson said customers affected by the decision would be contacted with their options shortly. “We’d like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and ask customers not to call our contact centre but reassure affected customers that they will be contacted in the coming days with their options," they continued.

"Where a flight is cancelled, customers have the choice to request a voucher or full refund. If re-routing is a suitable and available option, we can also rebook customers on alternative services. Those who booked via a third party such as a travel agent should contact them directly for their options."