Virgin Atlantic will stop all services between London and Nairobi from September 23 due to falling demand and high fuel costs.

Customers who have already booked flights will be offered a full refund, or move to a different carrier.

Richard Branson stated that he was “saddened” by the decision but that “a combination of record fuel prices, higher and higher taxes imposed by the Government and a poorly timed slot not providing connections from London have made it uneconomical to fly from Nairobi.

“Governments must be more realistic about the aviation taxes they impose and we urgently need to increase capacity at Heathrow.”