dailynewsnblog
One of Europe’s busiest airports, 
London Heathrow Airport (LHR), is in the process of adding seven new routes, stretching as far as Asia, North America, and Australia. Many of these are brand new, including exciting links to Costa Rica and Thailand.
Using data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, Simple Flying decided to dive into what these new routes mean for Britain’s busiest airport, and which airline is flying where. Heathrow is the busiest airport in Europe for international departures, ahead of Paris (CDG), Frankfurt (FRA) and Istanbul (IST).
British Airways Returns To Melbourne After Two Decades
Perhaps the most exciting in this analysis is British Airways’ return to Australia’s second-largest city. The airline will launch a new one-stop daily service to Melbourne Airport (MEL) via Kuala Lumpur (KUL) from January 2027. The airline previously served Melbourne up until 2006, where it provided a one-stop routing via Singapore Changi Airport (SIN).
British Airways’ second Australian destination joins the existing 
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) service, which is operated daily via Singapore. These are the only two British Airway destinations in all of Oceania.
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Alongside British Airways, Qantas will also begin one-stop flights to London via Perth International Airport (PER) from October. These services will operate daily via its Western Australia hub, which, with the Boeing 787-9, has the range to reach Europe nonstop.
Destination | Airline | Frequency | Aircraft | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Melbourne (MEL) | British Airways | 1x Daily from January 2027 | Boeing 787-9 | Stopover in Kuala Lumpur (KUL) |
Melbourne (MEL) | Qantas Airways | 1x Daily from October 2026 | Boeing 787-9 | Stopover in Perth (PER) |
The United Kingdom’s second-largest long-haul airline, Virgin Atlantic, will add a brand new route from Heathrow to Phuket (HKT). The airline will launch the service on October 18, and will mark the first time the popular Thai destination is served from Heathrow.
The leisure carrier TUI Airways already maintains a nonstop service from London Gatwick (LGW), so Virgin’s launch of its own Phuket connection will be the second airline to offer the service from Greater London. The route will be served by Virgin three times a week onboard the 787-9.
Earlier this year, British Airways added a new four-weekly service from Heathrow to Lambert St Louis International Airport (STL). The route marked the first time that an airline operated the service nonstop from Heathrow. British Airways plans to increase the service to a daily frequency from next year, and it is operated by the 787-8.
Destination | Airline | Frequency | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
St. Louis (STL) | British Airways | 4x Weekly since April | Boeing 787-8 |
Phuket (HKT) | Virgin Atlantic | 3x Weekly from October | Boeing 787-9 |
San Jose (SJO) | British Airways | 5x Weekly from October | Boeing 787-8 |
San Jose (SJO), Costa Rica, will also be added by the end of the month, beginning on October 25. British Airways will fly the route up to five times a week on the 787-8: it has switched the route from previously being served from Gatwick.
XiamenAir & Pakistan International Airlines Return To London Heathrow Airport
In March, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) returned to London Heathrow for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The carrier had faced a number of regulatory bans that limited its operations due to safety concerns relating to fraudulent licenses held by pilots. This ban was lifted in 2025.
Destination | Airline | Frequency | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
Lahore (LHE) | Pakistan International Airlines | 2x Weekly | Boeing 777-200ER |
Islamabad (ISB) | Pakistan International Airlines | Up to 5x Weekly | Boeing 777-200ER |
Xiamen (XMN) | XiamenAir | 3x Weekly | Boeing 787-9 |
PIA resumed services from Lahore (LHE) twice weekly, and Islamabad International Airport (ISB) up to five times a week. Both services are operated nonstop on the airline’s 777-200ER. Rounding out the list is XiamenAir, with the Chinese carrier adding its first regular operation between Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport (XMN) and London. The route is served up to three times a week with the 787-9.
