dailynewsnblog
Between July and the end of the year, 
British Airways plans 93 daily departures on long-haul routes from 
London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and 
London Gatwick Airport (LGW). Influenced by various additional markets, OAG data shows that the offering has risen by 3% compared to the same period last year.
BA plans to serve 77 long-haul destinations through December 2026, involving 40 countries. Unsurprisingly, the United States will be by far the most-served nation, followed by India and Canada. The trio will account for two of three of the 
oneworld member’s long-haul activities.
A Quick Word About BA’s Route Changes
The carrier’s network from January 2025 to June 2026 was compared to what is available from July to December 2026. This process identified that BA has ended five routes from LGW and two from LGW. They will be discussed in the following sections.
No airline’s map is static; it is always changing. BA’s network is no exception. Some of the airport pairs have simply switched London airports. This is to improve performance, such as by using more appropriate equipment, while freeing up equipment for deployment elsewhere. Some markets have also consolidated at LHR, which has enabled BA to grow frequencies and thus market share from the UK’s busiest airport.
This article excludes any market that is temporarily suspended. Several remain paused due to the ongoing war in Iran. It also does not include the temporary operation from LHR to 
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) earlier this year, which existed to help provide additional nonstop capacity to help people get home. Excluding this limited operation, BA has only operated from LGW to BKK since 2024.
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Catch what other flight trackers miss
Emergency squawks, holds, NOTAMs — unique signals, live, no signup.
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BA Has Ended Five Long-Haul Routes From LGW
In January 2025, BA’s final service took place from the UK’s second-busiest airport to Cape Town International Airport (CPT). This long route consolidated at LHR. Whether coincidentally or not, the long-haul low-cost carrier Norse Atlantic began LGW-CPT flights in October 2024. After only a two-year operation, BA ceased flying to the Dutch Caribbean destination of Aruba in March 2025. Flights operated via Antigua in both directions.
In October 2025, BA departed from LGW to 
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) for the last time. Delta Air Lines and JetBlue also recently ended flights on this airport pair. That was also when LGW to 
Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) ceased being part of BA’s network. Both markets consolidated at LHR. Because of this, more frequencies have been added from LHR, while the routes benefit from much greater connectivity via the UK’s busiest airport.
Then there’s the increasingly popular destination of San José, Costa Rica. Given the leisure nature of the market, it is hardly surprising that it has always operated from LGW. The first departure took place in April 2016, with the final service in March 2026.
This link will switch to LHR in October, becoming the first time the UK’s busiest airport has had flights to Costa Rica and Central America. It’ll operate five times weekly on the Boeing 787-8, against three times weekly on high-economy, Gatwick-configured 777-200ER. The higher frequency will help BA to attain more market share between London and the capital of Costa Rica.
BA No Longer Operates These Two Long-Haul Routes From LHR
BA has ceased flying from LHR to Jeddah. This route to the Saudi Arabia returned to the airline’s map in 2009 and operated until 2020. Flights resumed in 2024 and continued until April 2026. In the past 17 years, multiple aircraft were used: the 747-400, 767-300ER, 777-200ER, 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10. Due to not having many premium passengers, JED is far lower-yielding than Riyadh. Indeed, once the suspension due to the war is over, BA plans to serve Riyadh twice daily later this year.
After being served for 60+ years, Kuwait is no longer part of BA’s network. The last flight took place in March 2025. As it ‘only’ operated daily, against Kuwait Airways’ two to three daily services on the 777-300ER, BA did not capture many point-to-point passengers. It was largely reliant on lower-yielding connecting passengers, although the load factor was not impressive. While the launch is delayed, Jazeera Airways will fly daily from KWI to London Luton later this year.
