British Airways expands winter 2026-2027 schedule with new routes to Colombo and Melbourne, plus increased capacity across long-haul and European destinations.
New route to Colombo begins
British Airways started a new winter route from London-Gatwick to Colombo, Sri Lanka, on October 23, 2026, with the first flight arriving the next day. The airline now offers three weekly flights to Colombo during the winter season, with three different travel classes available.Expansion of long-haul services
The airline is expanding its long-haul network with new destinations and increased capacity to eleven other long-haul destinations. This includes strengthening its European network and adding more flights to existing routes, as part of a broader winter expansion plan announced earlier in the year.Return to Melbourne with a stop in Kuala Lumpur
British Airways is resuming flights to Melbourne, Australia, which it last served in 2006. The route will operate daily from London-Heathrow with a stop in Kuala Lumpur, making Melbourne the second Australian destination in its network, following Sydney.Fleet configuration and travel times
The Melbourne route will use British Airways' Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which has 214 seats across four cabins, including first class. The total journey time from London to Melbourne, including the stop in Kuala Lumpur, is approximately 22 hours.Increased capacity to other long-haul destinations
The airline is increasing capacity to several other long-haul destinations, including Cape Town, Tokyo, Bridgetown, Kingston, and San José. For example, it plans to add a third daily flight to Cape Town starting in December and increase flights to San José, Costa Rica, to five weekly flights.Enhanced Caribbean and short-haul services
British Airways is also enhancing its Caribbean and short-haul services with a new daily route from Gatwick to Barbados and increased frequencies to Rome, Florence, Göteborg, and Jersey. Cairo will see seven additional flights per week, increasing service to three daily flights.Adjustments to route distribution
The airline is adjusting how it distributes its routes between its London bases. For example, flights to Fuerteventura will now depart from Gatwick instead of Heathrow, and Palermo will be served year-round. The operating periods for Thessaloniki will be extended in November and March.Winter ski and northern European expansion
British Airways is expanding its winter ski and northern European services, with up to 110 flights per week to Geneva at the height of the season. It also plans to launch flights to Rovaniemi, Finland, from December 2026 to January 2027, and increase flights to Cologne and Nuremberg in Germany during the Christmas season.Fleet upgrades and future plans
British Airways is preparing for the arrival of its first reconfigured Airbus A380, which will be used for long-haul routes. However, the airline has not yet specified when the aircraft will enter commercial service or which routes it will serve.
