British Airways will reinstate its daily London Heathrow–Abu Dhabi service from October 25, the airline confirmed Tuesday, offering a rare resumption of Gulf connectivity (even if several months out) as the carrier keeps several other regional routes suspended.
Abu Dhabi’s return to the schedule signals the carrier is making careful, destination-by-destination decisions about the region rather than a blanket restoration — a distinction travel advisors booking corporate and leisure clients to the UAE will want to note. But the carrier has noted the region’s volatility and that it is “constantly reviewing” operations amid a time when flights to Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, and Tel Aviv are unable to currently operate.
The Abu Dhabi news came as part of a sweeping winter 2026 expansion announcement that grows British Airways’ long-haul flying by nine percent compared to winter 2025. The headline additions are two new long-haul routes: Melbourne, Australia, launching January 9, 2027 — timed to coincide with the Australian Open and the Melbourne Grand Prix — and Colombo, Sri Lanka, beginning October 23, 2026, operating three times weekly from London Gatwick on a seasonal basis.
On the U.S. side, the carrier is boosting frequencies at three gateways: Baltimore moves to daily Heathrow service for winter, New Orleans increases to four weekly flights and Houston climbs to 12 per week.
“We’re delighted to announce sizable growth to our flying schedule for winter 2026, including two notable new destinations, that I am confident will prove popular with our customers,” Neil Chernoff, British Airways’ Chief Planning and Strategy Officer, said in prepared remarks. “We’re also increasing services across several high-demand routes around the world. Together, these changes represent a significant investment in our long-haul leisure network, adding even more options and choice for our customers.”
“Elsewhere, we know there is short-term demand as a result of the situation in the Middle East,” Chernoff added. “To support customers with alternative routes from popular destinations we have already launched additional flights, and we will continue to monitor customer demand and add flights to our schedule if we’re able to do so.”
Leisure-focused agents will find expanded options across several vacation markets. Barbados gains a second London gateway with a new daily Gatwick service complementing existing Heathrow flights, while St. Lucia becomes daily nonstop to Gatwick from October 25. Cape Town adds a third daily Heathrow departure in December, and Tokyo Haneda moves to double-daily from late March.
The airline has also been managing a surge in demand driven by the Middle East situation, adding more than 3,300 extra seats to Bangkok and Singapore between March 10 and 19.
Tickets for all new routes and expanded services are on sale at ba.com effective today.
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