BA launches six new Gatwick routes
British Airways is launching its first ever flights to Albania and Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast as part of its new summer schedule.
It will also expand its long haul capacity following the conversion of four short haul Boeings to long haul aircraft.
But other routes have been suspended, including Singapore to Melbourne, Heathrow to Cologne and Gatwick to Budapest, Hanover and Munich.
The new Albanian flights will depart Gatwick for its capital, Tirana, three times a week from March 26 with Gatwick also serving Varna, in Bulgaria, initially twice weekly before rising to four times weekly from June.
Other new destinations from Gatwick include Turkey’s third largest city Izmir, the Ukrainian capital Kiev, Reykjavik and Athens.
Flights to the Latvian capital of Riga will move from Heathrow to Gatwick.
The reconfiguration of the short haul aircraft will see the number of long haul flights rise 7% from last summer to more than 1200 each week.
Flights from Heathrow to Delhi will increase to twice daily with frequency to Seattle and Montreal rising from seven to 10 per week.
Weekly services to Toronto and Vancouver will increase from 17 to 21 and 10 to 13 respectively.
BA director of planning Robert Boyle said the redesign of the aircraft was a short term measure.
“We have limited opportunities to increase our long haul flying as we will not take delivery of new long haul aircraft before our move to Terminal 5 in 2008,” he said. “Converting four Boeing 767s is a short term measure to increase capacity.”
Turning to the new routes, he described Albania as having “enormous potential” as a business and leisure destination.
The Black Sea meanwhile has become popular with Britons buying holiday homes, added Boyle.
Report by Steve Jones
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