Virgin Atlantic is pulling out of Tokyo, Mumbai, Vancouver and Cape Town as the airline repositions itself as a transatlantic airline flying mainly between the UK and the USA.

The Richard Branson-backed airline will boost its transatlantic timetable with a fifth daily service from London Heathrow to New York JFK; an extra daily service from London Heathrow to Los Angeles; plus new daily services from London Heathrow to Detroit and Manchester to Atlanta.

Partner Delta Air Lines will take over one of Virgin's current London Heathrow to Newark services and also launch a new daily service from Manchester to New York JFK in mid-2015.

New seasonal services will include a second daily flights during the summer season from London Heathrow to Atlanta; an extra summer seasonal service from London Heathrow to San Francisco, flying five times a week; and a second daily service during the winter season from London Heathrow to Miami.

"Transatlantic flying has always been at the heart of our network and our most financially successful region" said Virgin Atlantic CEO Craig Kreeger of the overhaul.

"Today's announcement allows us to play to our strengths and focus our network on routes between the UK and US, as well as other critical global destinations that are most important to our customers."

"Our ambition is to be profitable for the long term, earn competitive returns, and invest those into providing the very best experience for our customers on the routes they most want to fly."

Virgin's flights from London to Tokyo/Narita flight and Mumbai will be shuttered from February 1, with Cape Town cut from the schedule on 27 April.

The summer seasonal service from London to Vancouver won't return after 11 October 2014, with the winter seasonal service to Cape Town will run in winter 2014/15 "but will not be renewed the following winter."

Sanctioned from the cuts are Virgin Atlantic's daily flights to Johannesburg and Delhi, "as well as flights to other key destinations in Asia, Africa, Caribbean and the Middle East."

In May this year Virgin Atlantic axed its Sydney-Hong Kong flights and exited the Australian market, although the London-Hong Kong flight remains on the board.

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