dailynewsnblog
For obvious reasons, British Airways is the leading long-haul operator from the UK. Between April and December 2026, Cirium Diio data shows that it will have 29% of the country’s long-haul activity. However, because all such services are from London, its share of the London market rises to 34%.
In a significant and surprisingly extensive disclosure, BA has revealed multiple new and returning long-haul routes. But do not misunderstand. Some of them have simply switched London airports. However, as we will see, that still results in new airport level markets and other highly notable developments. They add to the ten routes that had already been announced.
BA’s Long-Haul Route Additions
The five long-haul routes are summarized below. Clearly, the most notable and significant addition is BA’s return to Melbourne. Perhaps it was not a coincidence that this very long route was announced amid the war in Iran and the many ongoing consequences of connecting at Gulf hubs. However, this argument is undermined by the long wait until the first flight, along with the fact that the route was presumably planned for many months.
BA might have been partly motivated to return to Victoria following Qantas ending its one-stop, same-plane service via Perth. However, this operation returns in October 2026. Moreover, BA’s performance on Heathrow-Kuala Lumpur—which returned to its network last year after a five-year absence—is likely to be underwhelming. This is probably one reason why it chose the Malaysian capital as its stopover city rather than, say, Singapore.
|
Start Date |
Route |
BA’s Operations* |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
|
23 October |
Gatwick-Colombo |
Three weekly 777-200ER |
Sri Lanka returns to the airline’s network, having last been served in 2015. At the time, some flights flew via the Maldives |
|
25 October |
Gatwick-Barbados |
Daily 777-200ER |
BA last operated Gatwick-Barbados in 2024, although a much higher frequency existed until 2020, when most Barbados flights switched to Heathrow. Its upcoming operation from Gatwick will continue to Georgetown, Grenada, and Tobago, replacing St. Lucia as the stopover point |
|
25 October 2026 |
Heathrow-San José (Costa Rica) |
Five weekly 787-8 |
The first time Costa Rica has had flights from Heathrow. BA switches the route from Gatwick |
|
25 October |
Heathrow-Tampa |
Five weekly 787-10 |
The route has been served from Gatwick for decades. It’ll now join Virgin Atlantic from Heathrow to Tampa, becoming the first time two airlines have operated at the airport level |
|
9 January 2027 |
Heathrow-Kuala Lumpur-Melbourne |
Daily 787-9 |
BA last flew to Victoria 20 years ago, in 2006, when all flights operated via Singapore on the 747-400 |
|
* Known as of March 18, and subject to change |
BA’s Reintroduction Of Flights To Melbourne
Covering 9,134 nautical miles (16,916 km) each way, BA’s upcoming Heathrow-Kuala Lumpur-Melbourne route will be the carrier’s new second-longest route. It’ll replace Heathrow-Santiago, which covers 31% less distance. The oneworld member’s return to Victoria means it’ll have two routes to Australia again. It’ll join its existing Heathrow-Singapore-Sydney service.
Significantly, a massive five Australian routes will be operated by European carriers in 2026/2027. In addition to BA’s two links, Finnair will debut on Helsinki-Bangkok-Melbourne, while Turkish Airlines—whose Istanbul Airport hub is on the European side of the Bosphorus—serves Melbourne via Singapore and Sydney via Kuala Lumpur. Will any other airlines commence service?
New Flights: 18 Of The Most Exciting Airline Routes Launching This Week
See which notable examples made the list this week…
Two Airlines Will Operate Between Heathrow And Tampa
After competing indirectly from different London airports, BA and Virgin will face each other head-to-head between the UK’s busiest airport and Tampa. Unlike BA’s service from Gatwick, the airline’s shift to Heathrow will mean much greater connectivity from across Europe and beyond. Yet, in winter 2026/2027, BA will only fly five times a week on the 787-10 against Virgin’s daily 787-9 offering.
Context is needed. Gatwick-Tampa was BA’s worst-performing US route in terms of seat factor. As such, it is perhaps unsurprising that it has shifted the market to Heathrow. Virgin did poorly too, as the US Department of Transportation shows that it only filled 73.8% of its Tampa seats last year. Will one of the airlines pull out? While fairly likely, nothing is confirmed.
