Virgin Atlantic is entering the Canadian market next summer with scheduled non-stop direct flights between London’s Heathrow Airport and Vancouver.The new service, which will run four times a week from May 24th to Oct. 25th, is expected to give a $54-million boost to Vancouver’s tourism revenue annually and may also be expanded to an all-year service at a future date.Vancouver will be the only Canadian destination for the U.K.-based airline, which offered a brief service to Toronto over a decade ago. However, that was cancelled following the 9/11 terrorist attack in the U.S.

We’ll start with four [flights a week] and see how it builds up,Steve Ridgway, CEO Virgin Atlantic Airways, said in an interview Friday. “We’re always looking for opportunities to grow [and] we want a market with a strong business component and a strong leisure component.Ridgway said that Vancouver is a market Virgin has eyed for years, and that it’s an attractive destination for U.K. travellers. It will be seasonal, but we’d like to make it year-round.

Ridgway noted that the U.K. has strong historical links and that is the largest overseas market to B.C.We’re also looking to persuade Canadian business travellers going to London.According to Virgin, the new service will use the Airbus A340-300 and increase capacity from Heathrow Airport in London to Vancouver by around 10 per cent, while generating $54 million in tourism revenue for Vancouver each year.It also said that the U.K. is the fourth largest immigrant base in Vancouver and flights will be on sale starting Dec. 1.

Ridgway said Virgin will do well against its main competition, British Airways and Air Canada.We have a big following in the U.K. and lots of repeat customers.He noted that the timing is right, with London hosting the summer Olympics next year and Queen Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee will also be celebrated.Tony Gugliotta, senior vice-president of marketing and business development at the Vancouver Airport Authority said the new Virgin service is a great development for the airport, which will see about 40,000 additional passengers a year.It’s a world-class airline with a tremendous reputation. We feel it will create about 50 jobs a year, about $3 million in wages.Gugliotta said it’s a significant investment by Virgin at a time when many airlines are cutting capacity because of difficult economic times.

Meanwhile, Premier Christy Clark announced plans today for China’s Sichuan Airlines to begin servicing Vancouver with three new flights a week, starting next year. A letter of intent was signed over the weekend, but the plan must still be approved by Transport Canada.Earlier this year, China Southern Airlines began flying passengers and cargo from Guangzhou to Vancouver International Airport. The proposed new service from Chengdu and Shenyang to Vancouver is expected to bring 31,000 additional visitors to B.C. annually, Clark said in a release from Guangdong, a stop on her Jobs Trade Mission.