12 April, 2021

British Airways delays Gatwick restart

The leading legacy carrier of the United Kingdom, British Airways is delaying the return of operations from London Gatwick because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic the airline has revealed. 

BA had previously had plans to bring some services back to the South East airport from the end of June this year, in time for the peak summer period.  However,  the airline has now axed these plans as it struggles to get back to any resemblance of normal operations.

The airline will operate flights to Glasgow as well as a few long-haul flights from Gatwick for the foreseeable future, but all other services will be flown from London Heathrow,  at least until the end of October.  British Airways believes this will allow it to ensure a 'smooth, uninterrupted, and efficient operation across' its route network at the moment while pre-COVID demand has yet to return.  

Elsewhere, BA recently announced two new routes from London City Airport, in London's docklands, which would be started later this year.  The firm will fly to Jersey and Gibraltar from 25th June. Two flights a week will operate to Jersey and Gibraltar – on Mondays and Fridays.

Tom Stoddart, Managing Director of BA CityFlyer, which will operate the new services, said: "It’s great to be able to launch these two new services to Gibraltar and Jersey – it’s something customers have been asking us to do for quite a while. Whether it’s for a holiday or visiting friends or relatives who live either end of route when the time is right, customers will benefit from direct flights to and from the extremely conveniently located London City Airport".

Minister for Business, Tourism, Transport and the Port of Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar the Hon Vijay Daryanani MP said: "This is excellent news and continues to show the confidence that the industry has in Gibraltar as a destination. A seasonal link with London City Airport operated by BA CityFlyer brings yet another operator to Gibraltar and opens up a further catchment area from the UK. This service will complement BA’s mainline services from Heathrow".

Matt Thomas, Ports of Jersey, Group CEO, said: “We are delighted to see the Island once again connected to London City and look forward to working alongside BA Cityflyer. We understand the importance of connectivity to London’s financial centre, as well as for Islanders wanting easy access to central London, or to take advantage of the many onward connections available.”

Both flights will be operated by BA CityFlyer’s Embraer E190 aircraft. British Airways will continue to operate its services to Jersey and Gibraltar alongside these new London City services.


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