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Welcome to our guide to BA long haul aircraft at London Gatwick & Heathrow.
Here you’ll find details of BA’s plans for new aircraft deliveries and refurbishments.
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Fleet Summary
Here is a summary of BA’s long haul fleet as at June 2025:
| Aircraft Type | Total Aircraft | Future Deliveries | Options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A350-1000 | 18 | 6 | 12 |
| Airbus A380 | 12 | ||
| Boeing 777-200ER | 43 | ||
| Boeing 777-300ER | 16 | ||
| Boeing 777-9 | 0 | 24 | 9 |
| Boeing 787-8 | 12 | ||
| Boeing 787-9 | 18 | ||
| Boeing 787-10 | 12 | 38 | 10 |
| Total | 131 | 68 | 31 |
BA’s widebody fleet is still below pre COVID-19 levels, at 130 aircraft, compared to 135 before. This will continue until at least 2027.
Aircraft Refurbishments
BA has completed the refurbishment of all Heathrow based Boeing 777 aircraft.
This involved reducing the size of First Class cabins to 8 seats, installing the new Club Suite, larger premium economy cabins 10 abreast seating in economy.
The Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleet is now being refurbished with Airbus A380 aircraft to follow in 2026.
The current plan is that 96% of Heathrow based long haul aircraft will be fitted with the Club Suite by the end of 2026.
The majority of BA’s long haul fleet is equipped with WiFi. Details of how to connect and charges are available on ba.com. BA has confirmed this will be upgraded to high speed gate-to-gate Starlink WiFi from 2026 onwards. This will be free for all passengers.
Here’s a breakdown of the different types of aircraft in BA’s long haul fleet:
Airbus A350-1000
BA has 18 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.
These Airbus A350s are in a three class configuration, with no First Class. There are 56 Club Suite seats, 56 World Traveller Plus seats, and 219 World Traveller seats.
In March 2025, BA ordered an additional 6 aircraft to be delivered between 2027 and 2030.
Please see here for details of the Club World cabin and here for internal and external pictures of the Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.
Airbus A380
BA has 12 Airbus A380s.
BA will start to refurbish A380 aircraft to add its “Club Suite” and a new First Class cabin towards the end of 2025. The first refurbished aircraft is expected to enter service around mid-2026.
The refurbished aircraft will also feature a smaller World Traveller cabin, with 73% of the aircraft floorspace dedicated to premium cabins, compared to 60% at present.
The A380 is planned to operate these flights from 26 October in winter 2025/2026:
Johannesburg – BA55 & BA56; BA57 & BA54
Los Angeles – BA269 & BA268
Miami – BA207 & BA206; BA209 & BA208
San Francisco – BA285 & BA284
Boeing 777-200ER
BA has 43 Boeing 777-200ER aircraft.
BA has refurbished all Boeing 777-200ER aircraft at Heathrow. This included a reduction of First Class seats on four class aircraft from 14 to 8, the installation of the Club Suite and 10 abreast seating in World Traveller.
This is the only long haul aircraft operated at Gatwick.
Before COVID-19 BA refurbished Gatwick based Boeing 777-200s. This increased seating in World Traveller from 9 to 10 abreast, reduced the size of Club World and increased the size of World Traveller Plus.
There are no plans to fit the Club Suite to Gatwick Boeing 777 aircraft – though these will occasionally rotate with Heathrow based aircraft.
Please see here for images of the refurbished aircraft.
As many of BA’s Boeing 777 aircraft are nearly 30 years’ old, these aircraft are likely to be retired after 2027.
Boeing 777-300ER
BA has 16 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
All operate in a four class configuration at Heathrow. These feature a modified 8 seat First Class cabin, and the Club Suite.
Boeing 777-9
BA has 24 Boeing 777-9 aircraft on order, with options for a further 6 aircraft in March 2025.
Due to ongoing issues at Boeing, these are expected to be delivered no earlier than 2027.
These will operate in a four class configuration with 325 seats and feature a new First Class cabin, similar that to be installed on the Airbus A380.
Boeing 787-8
BA has 12 Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
These operate in a three class configuration, with no First Class. They fly on routes such as Baltimore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Montreal, New Orleans and Pittsburgh.
The retrofit its Club Suite to Boeing 787-8 aircraft is underway and is likely to continue into 2026.
Boeing 787-9
BA has 18 787-9 aircraft.
These aircraft operate in a four class configuration, with an 8 seat First Class cabin.
It is used across the BA network to the Americas, Asia and the Middle East. It operates on routes such as Denver, Houston, Mexico City, Santiago and Singapore-Sydney.
BA has started to retrofit its Club Suite to Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The first aircraft has been refurbished, together with a new World Traveller Plus seat, and will enter into service after the certification process is complete.
Boeing 787-10
BA has 12 Boeing 787-10 aircraft, with 38 on order and options for 10 aircraft.
All aircraft should be delivered by the end of 2033. This will make the Boeing 787-10 the single largest aircraft type at the airline, with 50 aircraft. BA has options for at least 10 further 787-10 aircraft.
The aircraft is configured in four classes with 8 seats in First Class, 48 seats in Club World, 35 seats in World Traveller Plus and 156 seats in World Traveller. The First Class seat is the same as on Boeing 787-9 aircraft. The Club World cabin features the Club Suite.
Given the volume of aircraft on order it is likely that some future deliveries will not feature First Class.
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