NEWS: British Airways announces short haul destinations from Gatwick

Today British Airways has revealed the initial destinations for its new Gatwick subsidiary, which will start flying from March 2022. Tickets to 35 short-haul destinations will also be on sale from Tuesday 14 December.

The airline announced its intention to create a short-haul standalone business at Gatwick in August, similar to its operation from London City Airport, which operates under the British Airways name but exists as an entirely separate entity. The offshoot will launch later in 2022, with short-haul services at Gatwick being operated by mainline BA until the new entities’ Air Operators Certificate is issued. BA short-haul flights will start operating from Gatwick at the end of March, with three Airbus short-haul aircraft initially, ramping ramp up to 18 aircraft by the end of May.

Spring 2022 will herald the airline’s return to short-haul flying from the London airport, which had been suspended as a result of Covid-19 in Spring 2020. During the pandemic, several routes were moved to Heathrow airport, some of which will return to Gatwick, as well as being maintained at Heathrow to give customers choice, including Faro, Ibiza, Malaga, Marrakech and Tenerife. In addition, other new routes will be added at Gatwick including Athens, Berlin, Madrid, Milan Malpensa and Santorini.

The new services will be branded and known as British Airways. Customers will receive the same level of service they expect of British Airways including Executive Club benefits such as lounge access.

Club Europe customers will also receive complimentary food and drink and Euro Traveller customers who want to order additional food will be able to order from the airline’s ‘Speedbird Café.

Tickets, which will go on sale at ba.com today, and start from £39 each way hand baggage only with fares competitive with those of Gatwick’s other low cost carriers. British Airways Holidays also has a number of packages to these destinations, starting from £119 (see below). The airline will continue to prioritise flying to and from the most convenient destinations across Europe.

Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said: “Today is a landmark moment for British Airways. The creation of a new British Airways short-haul organisation means Gatwick customers will benefit from access to a premium service from the UK’s flag carrier at competitive prices. We are looking forward to bringing a short-haul network back to Gatwick, with a fantastic flying team in place, to serve our customers from London’s second hub airport, which we feel sure will be a success.”

Stewart Wingate, CEO, Gatwick Airport, said: “This significant news will be very welcome for many people connected to the airport.  Despite the ongoing public health situation, today’s announcement is a positive signal that consumer confidence is returning as people start thinking about making travel plans for next summer.

“Given the difficult period we have all just been through, we expect BA’s new and extensive network of services from Gatwick to destinations across Europe to be in high demand and our staff, retailers, restaurants, cafes and bars are all looking forward to welcoming BA passengers back in larger numbers from April next year.”

The airline has already launched a significant recruitment campaign to invite people interested in roles to help the company launch the new subsidiary. Prospective candidates can visit the British Airways careers site, where new roles are added each week and you can register your interest for future job alerts.

The new services will initially be operated by British Airways, but by Autumn 2022 the organisation will be managed separately under the company trading name ‘BA Euroflyer’, consistent with its sister subsidiary ‘BA CityFlyer’. The brand name will remain as British Airways.

Example holiday prices

 Venice: British Airways Holidays offers two nights at the 4* Novotel Venezia Mestre Castellana from £119pp, travelling on selected dates between 1 April – 30 April 2022inclusive. Includes economy (Euro Traveller) return flights from London Gatwick Airport, 23kg luggage allowance and accommodation. Book by 25 January 2022. 

Nice: British Airways Holidays offers two nights at the 4* Best Western Cannes Riviera & Spa from £119pp, travelling on selected dates between 1 April – 30 April 2022inclusive. Includes economy (Euro Traveller) return flights from London Gatwick Airport, 23kg luggage allowance and accommodation. Book by 25 January 2022. 

Palma: British Airways Holidays offers five nights at the 4* Blue Sea Club Martha’sfrom £179pp, travelling on selected dates between 1 May – 31 May 2022 inclusive. Includes economy (Euro Traveller) return flights from London Gatwick Airport, 23kg luggage allowance and accommodation. Book by 25 January 2022.

For reservations and availability from Gatwick click here.

Gatwick short-haul routes, launching from March 2022