Flights from Heathrow to Brazil’s most populous city will begin on 13 May 2024, having first been announced in spring 2019.

As part of Virgin’s codeshare agreement with Latam Airlines, passengers will be able to connect to 12 domestic airports in Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro.

Meanwhile, Virgin has also announced plans to grow its India services, with Bangalore set to become the carrier’s third destination and fourth daily service.

Launching in summer 2024, the new route will see the carrier offering 500,000 seats each year between the UK and India and 34 destinations across the country via its codeshare with IndiGo.

To mark its Sao Paulo announcement, Virgin has released a reimagined, samba-inspired safety video with dancers AJ Pritchard and Anton Du Beke, Brazilian model and actress Juliana Paes and its crew.

Juha Jarvinen, Virgin Atlantic’s chief commercial officer, said: “Flying to Sao Paulo represents so much more than just a new route. It’s the gateway to South America and signifies exciting new growth for Virgin Atlantic.

“After our plans to launch a route to Sao Paulo were scuppered by the pandemic, we’re so excited to be able to finally provide our customers with an opportunity to explore a fantastic new continent that is buzzing with adventure.”