BA100: 50. Former British Airways Routes

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This article was published in 2019 in a series on the history of British Airways and its predecessors Imperial Airways, BOAC and BEA. You can browse all 100 stories in number order, by theme or by decade.

Many have been updated since first published.

There are now very many destinations in the world no longer served BA.

Some route suspensions were prompted by economic events such as the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s. Geopolitical events and security concerns have also caused a number of suspensions, notably Baghdad and Basra.

Many former routes were 1/2/3 stop flights which are now more economically served by connections to alliance and codeshare partners. BA also suspended a very large number of former BMED/bmi routes after its acquisition in 2012.

COVID-19, which saw the abrupt retirement of BA’s Boeing 747 fleet, resulted in many long-haul routes formerly operated by the Boeing 787 aircraft suspended.

Medium and long-haul routes and airports formerly served by BA, excluding franchises and subsidiaries, since its formation in 1974 include (minus a few omissions no doubt!):

North America

Canada

Calgary – This route launched in December 2006, initially with a Boeing 767 aircraft. It became a summer seasonal only route in 2019. It did not resume in 2020 due to COVID-19 and the route was since suspended.

Edmonton – Suspended by BA in 1982.

Montréal Mirabel – Flights transferred to Montréal Trudeau International.

United States Of America

Anchorage – BOAC and BA used to fly to Tokyo via Anchorage:

Charleston – This launched as a twice weekly summer seasonal route from 4 April to 24 October 2019. It did not return in 2020 due to COVID-19 and was since suspended permanently. The flight numbers were BA221 & BA220.

Charlotte – Launched in January 1994, operated from Gatwick using a USAir Boeing 767 in BA livery and operated by USAir crews in BA uniforms.

Detroit – This route was suspended on 30 March 2008.

Fort Lauderdale – This route operated from Gatwick between 6 July 2017 and 7 September 2019.

Oakland – This route operated from Gatwick between 28 March 2017 and 13 October 2018.

Pittsburgh – BA first flew from London Heathrow to Pittsburgh via Washington from May 1986 to June 1993. It was then operated from Gatwick until October 1999 using a US Air Boeing 767 aircraft and crew in BA colours. It was launched as a non-stop route on 2 April 2019. It was suspended following COVID-19. The last flight to London Heathrow operated on 15 March 2020. The flight numbers were BA171 & BA170. It is now due to relaunch in June 2022.

Portland – This route was due to launch on 1 June 2020. It is now due to launch in June 2022.

Puerto Rico

San Juan

Central & South America

Columbia

Bogota

CUBA

Havana

Venezuela

Caracas

Peru

Lima – This route launched from Gatwick on 4 May 2016. It became a summer seasonal route from 2017. It did not operate in 2020 due to COVID-19 and is now suspended.

Africa

Angola

Luanda – This route was suspended on 9 June 2018. The former flight numbers were BA77 & BA76.

Botswana

Gaborone

Cameroon

Douala

Côte d’Ivoire

Abidjan

Democratic republic of the congo

Kinshasa

Egypt

Luxor

Sharm el-Sheikh – Last operated from London Gatwick around 2015

Ethiopia

Addis Ababa – This route was inherited from bmi and suspended on 10 June 2012.

Gambia

Banjul

Liberia

Monrovia – This route was suspended on 6 August 2014.

Libya

Tripoli – This route was suspended in July 2014.

Malawi

Lilongwe

Morocco

Agadir – This route was inherited from bmi suspended on 26 October 2014.

Casablanca – This route was inherited from bmi and suspended on 28 October 2012.

Sierra Leone

Freetown – This route was inherited from bmi and suspended on 6 August 2014.

South Africa

Durban – This launched as a non-stop route from London Heathrow on 29 October 2018. It was suspended following COVID-19 with the last flight to Heathrow operated on 26 March 2020. The former flight numbers were BA41 & BA40.

Sudan

Khartoum – This route was inherited from bmi and suspended on 1 October 2012.

Tanzania

Dar es Salaam – This route was suspended in 2012.

Uganda

Entebbe – This route was suspended on 3 October 2015. The former flight numbers were BA63 & BA62.

Zambia

Lusaka – This route was suspended on 26 October 2013. The former flight numbers were BA254 & BA255.

Zimbabwe

Harare – This route was suspended on 28 October 2007, in part due to increased operating costs as aircraft fuel had to be trucked from South Africa.

Indian Ocean

The Seychelles – BA returned to The Seychelles with a twice weekly service on 24 March 2018. The route was suspended following COVID-19. The last flight to Heathrow operated on 4 January 2021. The former flight numbers were BA63 & BA62.

The Middle East

Iran

Tehran – This route was inherited from bmi and suspended on 12 October 2012. BA returned to Tehran on 1 September 2016. The route was suspended again from Sunday 23 September 2018. The former flight numbers were BA152 & BA153.

Iraq

Imperial Airways began flights to Basra in 1927 and to Baghdad in 1929. Flights were suspended in March 1987 during the Iran / Iraq war. Flights resumed again in November 1988 to be suspended again in February 1990 in the lead up to the first Gulf war.

Baghdad – Plans were announced in April 2003 to resume services when safe to do so, but these have never been realised.

Basra – BA was given permission to fly to Basra in August 2003. BA announced plans to fly twice weekly, via Kuwait, once it was safe to do so, but these have never been realised.

Lebanon

Beirut – This route was inherited from bmi. It was officially suspended from 11 May 2020. The last flight to Heathrow operated on 16 March 2020. The flight numbers were BA148 and BA149.

OMAN

Muscat – This route was suspended following COVID-19. The last flight to Heathrow operated on 22 March 2020. The flight numbers were BA79 and BA80.

United ARAB Emirates

Abu Dhabi – This route was suspended following COVID-19. The last flight to Heathrow operated on 19 March 2020. The flight numbers were BA73 and BA72.

Saudia Arabia

Dammam – This route was inherited from bmi and suspended on 16 September 2012. BA returned to Dammam as an extension of its service to Bahrain from 1 December 2019. This was since suspended due to COVID-19. The last flight to Heathrow via Bahrain operated on 14 March 2020.

Jeddah – This route, along with Riyadh, resumed 29 March 2009 after BA suspended all services to Saudi Arabia in March 2005. It was suspended again following COVID-19. The last flight to Heathrow operated on 14 March 2020. The former flight numbers were BA132 & BA133.

Syria

Damascus – This route was inherited from bmi and suspended on 29 May 20212.

South & Central Asia

Armena

Yerevan – This route was inherited from bmi and suspended on 13 October 2012.

Azerbaijan

Baku – This route was inherited from bmi and suspended on 29 April 2016.

Bangladesh

Dhaka – This route was suspended on 29 March 2009. The former flight numbers were BA145 & BA144.

Georgia

Tbilisi – This route was inherited from bmi and suspended on 31 March 2013.

India

Amritsar – This route was inherited from bmi and suspended on 28 October 2012.

Kolkatta – This route was suspended on 29 March 2009.

Kazakhstan

Almaty – This route was inherited from bmi and suspended on 12 October 2015. The former flight numbers were BA158 & BA159.

Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek – This route was inherited from bmi and suspended on 1 October 2012.

Pakistan

Karachi

Sri Lanka

Columbo – This route operated as an extension of BA’s service to The Maldives and was suspended from 28 March 2015.

The Far East

Greater China

Beijing Capital International – Flights transferred to Beijing Daxing International on Sunday 27 October 2019.

Chengdu – This route launched in September 2013. It was suspended in January 2017 due to poor commercial performance. The last flight to Heathrow operated on 13 January 2017. The flight numbers were BA88 & BA89.

Hong Kong Kai Tak – Flights transferred to Hong Kong International in 1998.

Indonesia

Jakarta – Route suspended circa 1999/2000.

Japan

Nagoya

Osaka – This route was previously operated via Tokyo Narita until October 1998. It was reinstated as a non-stop route on 31 March 2019. It was suspended following COVID-19. The last flight to Heathrow operated on 28 March 2020. Occasional cargo only flights have operated since. The former flight numbers were BA19 & BA20.

Tokyo Narita – BA officially consolidated flights to Tokyo at Tokyo Haneda airport from Saturday 28 March 2020. However, a number of cargo only flights to Tokyo Narita operated since.

Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur – BA returned to Kuala Lumpur on 27 May 2015 after the route was suspended in 2001. The route was suspended following COVID-19. However, a number of cargo only flights have continued to operate. The former flight numbers were BA33 & BA34.

The Philippines

Manila – This route, which operated via Hong Kong, was suspended in December 2001.

South Korea

Seoul – BA returned to Seoul in December 2012. The route was suspended following COVID-19. A number of cargo only flights have continued to operate. The former flight numbers were BA17 & BA18.

Taiwan

Taipei – This route, which operated via Hong Kong, was suspended in December 2001.

Pacific

Australia

Adelaide

Brisbane – The route, which operated via Singapore, was suspended around 2000/2001, with the Singapore – Brisbane leg handed over to BA’s then joint venture partner Qantas.

Melbourne – The route, which operated via Singapore, was reinstated around 2000/2001 and then suspended again from 25 March 2006.

Perth – The route, which operated via Singapore, was suspended around 2000/2001, with the Singapore – Perth leg handed over to BA’s then joint venture partner Qantas.

New Zealand

Auckland
Christchurch

Short-haul routes and airports previously served by BA include Almeria, Bastia, Berlin Tegel, Bergen, Dresden, Helsinki, Kyiv, Leeds Bradford, Limoges, Milan Bergamo, Montpellier, Moscow Sheremetyevo, Murcia, Nantes, Nuremberg, Paris Orly, Plymouth, Sarajevo, Stavanger, Tallinn, Trieste, Varna and Vilnius.

You can continue reading our 100 part series on the history of British Airways and its predecessor airlines Imperial Airways, BOAC and BEA in numerical order, by theme or by decade.

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