dailynewsnblog
October is nearly here. Towards the end of that month, 
British Airways will switch to winter schedules based on IATA slot seasons. As such, the oneworld member will introduce or resume multiple routes from both 
London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and 
London Gatwick Airport (LGW).
Next month, BA will begin flying from LHR to San Jose, Costa Rica, and Tampa, Florida, both of which are currently served from LGW. The carrier will lift off from LGW to Barbados and Colombo, Sri Lanka, with the latter being the subject of this article. This analysis comes soon after BA announced that it’ll be returning to Tanzania next year with flights to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar.
British Airways From London To Sri Lanka
BA has a history of flying from LGW to Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB). OAG data shows that the UK flag carrier and largest long-haul operator most recently did so between 2013 and 2015, when all flights in each direction stopped en route in Malé, which is the capital of the Maldives.
Things will be different this time, which is why the title includes ‘new’. While the airport (CMB) is far from being new to BA’s network, the routing is, at least compared with the most recent operation. The airline will now fly nonstop in each direction, which will, of course, increase the carrier’s competitiveness, particularly against the Gulf carriers, which necessarily carry most of the traffic. More on that later.
On October 23, one month from when this article was written, BA will lift off for CMB. It’ll operate three times weekly through the northern winter only, which is a standard frequency for a new (or returning) service. The final departure of the first season will leave the UK’s second-busiest airport on March 26, 2027.
The route will primarily deploy the 332-seat Boeing 777-200ER. This high-capacity, low-premium, so-called LGW configuration has 32 seats in Club World (old seats; 1-2-1), 48 in World Traveller Plus (2-4-2; 38″ pitch), and 252 in World Traveller (3-4-3, which is especially unappealing; 31″). From 2029, BA’s Triple Sevens at LGW will be replaced by the Boeing 787-10.
Days | LGW To CMB; Local Times | Days | CMB To LGW; Local Times |
|---|---|---|---|
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays | BA2045: 5:30 PM-9:00 AM+1 (10 hours) | Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays | BA2044: 11:00 AM-5:00 PM (11 hours and 30 minutes) |
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Why Would British Airways Fly To Sri Lanka?
First, some context. Sri Lanka is in South Asia, which is where BA has really been focusing recently. In 2026, OAG data shows that it has nearly 1.9 million round-trip seats for sale, which exceeds the prior record, set last year, by a very strong 10%. This overall expansion is not just for the burgeoning local London demand, but also for connectivity to/from North America. Virgin Atlantic also has record London-South Asia capacity this year.
Then there’s Sri Lanka itself. According to senior airline network planner and industry commentator Behramjee Ghadially, “Sri Lanka has seen a boom in tourist arrivals especially from Europe after the COVID pandemic and the tragic 2019 Easter terror attacks. Compared to 2019, passenger traffic from the top 20 intercontinental markets grew by a considerable 22%.” He added:
“The surge in demand is not only from political and civil stability. It is also because Sri Lanka’s beaches have been branded the Ibiza of Asia for the past two years. The two party-heavy beaches are Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna, which are popular with surfers, backpackers, and so on. Some travelers are moving away from the more-visited Thailand and Vietnam.
European tourists spend an average of 10 days in Sri Lanka. They don’t just go to the beaches. They also go to Yala National Park to see a leopard, visit tea plantations, go to the city of Galle, and more.”
That’s All Good, But What’s The Demand From London?
Ghadially says that 409,000 round-trip passengers flew between London and CMB in 2025, equivalent to 1,100+ people daily. Obviously, this was not just tourists but also diaspora who travel to visit friends and relatives.
The ethnic segment is largely why London was by far the largest European market to Sri Lanka, far outpacing the second-ranked Paris (176,000 passengers). Compared to 2019, London traffic rose by 15%, which was very healthy given the high starting point. SriLankan Airlines operates to LHR.
The problem is not the demand but the fares and yields. Ghadially states that “Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad dominate the one-stop European market segment to/from CMB, offering low-yielding fares. The amount of premium demand is not even at the medium level.” Of course, this is why BA will be flying from LGW, with a low-premium, high-economy offering.
Will BA return for a second season? Time will tell. Things might not be easy due to the market’s “low-yielding passenger base and the excess amount of seat capacity already put in place by the Gulf carriers in the CMB market.” It would be good to see how the first season performs later next year.
