Good news for those who love sunny weather and hate a layover!
This daily service will begin operating from January 9th 2027- just in time for Australian Grand Prix and Australian Open tennis. This will be a year-round service.
Iconic train passing over Nine Arch Bridge in Demodara, Ella, Sri Lanka. Credit: British Airways
This new long-haul route network from the airline is part of its major winter expansion. Other new destinations and expansion routes include Colombo, Tokyo, Barbados and Cape Town.
This comes after significant flight disruptions over the last two weeks due to the Middle East conflict. All BA flights to Middle Eastern destinations [other than Abu Dhabi] have been cancelled up until May 31st.
BA usually operates 20 flights a week to Dubai, meaning thousands of passengers are likely to be effected.
If you want to get away earlier, BA will see flights three times a week from London Gatwick to Colombo in Sri Lanka beginning from the 23rd October 2026.
Daily flights from Barbados from London Gatwick will launch from the 25th October 2026.
These changes mean the airline’s long haul network is set to grow by 9%.
British Airway’s Chief Planning and Strategy Officer, Neil Chernoff explained the new destinations and increased services to high demand locations are changes they hope will give their customers more choice.
“These changes represent a significant investment in our long-haul leisure network.”
In response to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the airline will also be adding additional flights to Singapore and Bangkok, to give customers alternative routes.
“We will continue to monitor customer demand and add flights to our schedule if we’re able to do so.”
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HeadlineBritish Airways announces major winter 2026 expansion including direct flights to Melbourne
Short HeadlineDirect flights from London to Melbourne launched by British Airways
StandfirstBritish Airways (BA) has announced they are launching direct flights from London Heathrow to Melbourne as part of their 2026 winter expansion.
Good news for those who love sunny weather and hate a layover!
This daily service will begin operating from January 9th 2027- just in time for Australian Grand Prix and Australian Open tennis. This will be a year-round service.
Iconic train passing over Nine Arch Bridge in Demodara, Ella, Sri Lanka. Credit: British Airways
This new long-haul route network from the airline is part of its major winter expansion. Other new destinations and expansion routes include Colombo, Tokyo, Barbados and Cape Town.
This comes after significant flight disruptions over the last two weeks due to the Middle East conflict. All BA flights to Middle Eastern destinations [other than Abu Dhabi] have been cancelled up until May 31st.
BA usually operates 20 flights a week to Dubai, meaning thousands of passengers are likely to be effected.
If you want to get away earlier, BA will see flights three times a week from London Gatwick to Colombo in Sri Lanka beginning from the 23rd October 2026.
Daily flights from Barbados from London Gatwick will launch from the 25th October 2026.
These changes mean the airline’s long haul network is set to grow by 9%.
British Airway’s Chief Planning and Strategy Officer, Neil Chernoff explained the new destinations and increased services to high demand locations are changes they hope will give their customers more choice.
“These changes represent a significant investment in our long-haul leisure network.”
In response to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the airline will also be adding additional flights to Singapore and Bangkok, to give customers alternative routes.
“We will continue to monitor customer demand and add flights to our schedule if we’re able to do so.”
