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Welcome to our guide to BA’s fleet of long haul aircraft at London Gatwick & Heathrow.
Here you’ll find full details of BA’s plans for new aircraft and to refurbish existing aircraft.
Fleet Summary
Here is a summary of BA’s long haul fleet as at October 2022:
| Aircraft Type | Total Aircraft | Future Deliveries | Options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A350-1000 | 13 | 5 | 36 |
| Airbus A380 | 12 | ||
| Boeing 777-200ER | 43 | ||
| Boeing 777-300ER | 16 | ||
| Boeing 777-900 | 0 | 18 | 24 |
| Boeing 787-8 | 12 | ||
| Boeing 787-9 | 18 | ||
| Boeing 787-10 | 2 | 10 | 6 |
| Total | 115 | 34 | 66 |
The number of widebody aircraft has fallen from 135 before COVID-19 to 115. Due to delays to the delivery of aircraft from Boeing this will continue for some years.
Aircraft Refurbishments
BA is refurbishing Boeing 777-200ER and 777-300ER aircraft at Heathrow.
This involves reducing the size of First Class cabins to 8 seats, installing the new Club Suite, larger premium economy cabins and 10 abreast seating in economy. BA aims to complete most aircraft by the end of 2022.
Most of BA’s long haul fleet should feature its latest Club Suite by the end of 2024.
The majority of BA’s long haul fleet is equipped with WiFi. Details of how to connect and charges are available on ba.com
Here’s a breakdown of the different types of aircraft in BA’s long haul fleet:
Airbus A350-1000
As at October 2022, BA has 13 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. 5 are to be delivered.
These Airbus A350s are in a three class configuration, with no First Class. There are 56 Club World “Club Suite” seats, 56 World Traveller Plus seats, and 219 World Traveller seats.
BA expects to take delivery of all aircraft by the end of 2024. The airline has options for 36 more aircraft. BA originally planned to add a First Class cabin to later deliveries of aircraft. This now looks unlikely.
BA’s sister airline Aer Lingus had ordered 5 Airbus A350-900 aircraft which it cancelled. IAG expects to allocate these aircraft to either BA or Iberia. Iberia has 9 Airbus A350-900 aircraft, with 11 to be delivered. In total, IAG has ordered 43 A350 aircraft with options to acquire a further 52 aircraft.
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.
The A380 is planned to operate these flights:
Boston – BA213 & BA212 from 26 March to 28 October 2023
Chicago O’Hare -BA295 & BA294 until 25 March 2023; switches to BA297 & BA296 on 26 March 2023
Dallas / Fort Worth – BA193 & BA192
Dubai – BA109 & BA108 until 20 February 2023
Johannesburg – BA57 & BA54; and BA55 & BA56 from 9 January 2023
Los Angeles – BA269 & BA268 until 25 March 2023
Miami – BA207 & BA206
San Francisco – BA287 & BA286
Washington Dulles – BA217 & BA216 until 25 March 2023; switches to BA293 & BA292 on 26 March 2023
BA had options to acquire a further 7 A380s which lapsed. BA did explore leasing second-hand A380s. This did not come to anything due to the cost of reconfiguring aircraft.
BA planned to retrofit its new “Club Suite” to A380 aircraft. This is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
Boeing 777-200ER
BA has 43 Boeing 777-200ER aircraft.
This is the only long haul aircraft operated at Gatwick.
BA has 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.
Please see here for images of the refurbished aircraft.
BA is refurbishing Boeing 777-200ER aircraft at Heathrow. This includes 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.
BA expects to refurbish all Heathrow Boeing 777 aircraft by the end of 2022.
In 2020, BA retired 3 of its oldest Boeing 777-200 aircraft at Heathrow. These were the “odd-ball” aircraft with registrations G-ZZZA, G-ZZZB, and G-ZZZC and 17 First Class seats which typically operated to the Middle East and US East Coast.
Boeing 777-300ER
As at March 2022, BA has 16 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
All operate in a four class configuration at Heathrow.
The first 12 were delivered to the airline between 2010 and 2014. These feature 14 First Class seats, 56 Club World seats, 44 World Traveller Plus seats and 183 World Traveller seats.
BA has leased 4 additional Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. These feature a modified 8 seat First Class cabin, and the Club Suite.
The modified First Class cabin and Club Suite are being retrofitted to existing Boeing 777-300 aircraft. BA expects to refurbish all aircraft by the end of 2022.
Boeing 777-9
In February 2019, BA ordered 18 Boeing 777-9 aircraft, with options for 24 more aircraft.
These were planned to operate in a four class configuration with 325 seats.
15 aircraft were to be delivered by 2023. These are now expected to be delivered between 2026 and 2028.
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, Nashville, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Portland.
BA plans to retrofit its Club Suite to Boeing 787-8 aircraft. This is expected to complete by the end of 2024.
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 had options for a further 6 aircraft. These have expired. BA plans to retrofit its Club Suite to Boeing 787-9 aircraft. This is expected to complete by the end of 2024.
Boeing 787-10
BA has 3 Boeing 787-10 aircraft, with a further 9 on order.
The first aircraft, G-ZBLA & G-ZLBB, were delivered in 2020. All remaining aircraft should be delivered by the end of 2024.
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.
In total, BA will ultimately have a fleet of 42 787 family aircraft. BA has recently acquired options for a further 6 787-10 aircraft.
Retired Aircraft
In 2020, BA retired all its Boeing 747 aircraft.
BA had planned to retire its last Boeing 747 in February 2024. Before COVID-19, it was planned that 12 aircraft would be in service by the end of 2022.
Please see here for a special series on the Boeing 747 at BOAC and BA.
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