Tag: Egypt

Air Belgium to operate Heathrow – Cairo for British Airways

Air Belgium is to operate London Heathrow Cairo for British Airways from 18 August to 31 October 2019.

London Air Travel » Egypt

Air Belgium Airbus A340 aircraft

British Airways continues to wet lease an Airbus A340 aircraft from Air Belgium at London Heathrow.

One return flight, BA185 & BA184 from Heathrow to Newark is currently operated by Air Belgium until Saturday 8 June 2019.

Another return flight, BA93 & BA92 from Heathrow to Toronto, will be operated by Air Belgium from Sunday 9 June to Saturday 17 August 2019.

Heathrow – Cairo Wet Lease

The wet lease has now been extended to Cairo.

BA155 from London Heathrow to Cairo will be operated by Air Belgium from Sunday 18 August 2019 to Thursday 31 October 2019.

BA154 from Cairo to London Heathrow will be operated by Air Belgium from Monday 19 August 2019 to Friday 1 November 2019.

The flight will be operated by an Air Belgium A340-300 aircraft.

The route is currently operated by a three class Boeing 777-200 and was due to switch to a Boeing 787 for the winter season, instead of a two class Airbus A321, as per last winter.

The overall service standard on Air Belgium should be similar to that of BA.

Rebooking Options

All passengers have the option of rebooking on to BA’s alternative return flights from Heathrow to Cairo as close to your original date of travel as possible.

Full refunds are not available, except for Club World and World Traveller Plus passengers, unless allowed by the original fare rules.

Premium Economy Passengers

There is no premium economy cabin on Air Belgium aircraft.

Unless passengers rebook on to an alternative BA service, they will be downgraded to economy and receive a partial refund of their fare.

Passengers will retain their original baggage allowance and Avios earning entitlement. Some passengers may also be upgraded to business class.

Passengers can check the status of their booking using the Manage My Booking tool on ba.com

Affected passengers should contact BA or their travel agent.

More to read on British Airways Disruption

Here are our latest posts on disruption affecting British Airways:

Air Belgium to operate for BA on London Heathrow – Cairo

Air Belgium is to operate British Airways’ daily service from London Heathrow to Cairo over three days in early September 2018.

London Air Travel » Egypt

Air Belgium Airbus A340 aircraft
Air Belgium Airbus A340 aircraft (Image Credit: Air Belgium)

BA has confirmed that it is to wet lease an aircraft from Air Belgium to cover its daily flight from London Heathrow to Cairo over three days in early September 2018.

The outbound flight BA155 from London Heathrow to Cairo will be operated by Air Belgium from Monday 3 to Wednesday 5 September 2018. As will the inbound flight BA154 from Cairo to London Heathrow from Tuesday 4 to Thursday 6 September 2018.

As its name suggests, Air Belgium is based in Brussels and it flies from Charleroi Airport in Southern Belgium to Hong Kong three times weekly.

No specific reason has been given for the wet lease. However, given the route is ordinarily operated with a Boeing 787-9 aircraft, it’s a safe assumption that the grounding of these aircraft is the cause.

The flight will be operated by an Air Belgium A340-300 aircraft. The overall service standard should be similar to that of BA.

Premium Economy Passengers

Oddly, in its update for the travel trade BA have advised that there is no premium economy cabin on the Air Belgium aircraft.

However, the Air Belgium website indicates that it does in fact have a premium economy cabin!

BA has advised that most premium economy passengers will be downgraded to economy, but with their original baggage allowance and Avios earning entitlement, to be added retrospectively. Affected passengers will be entitled to claim a refund for the fare difference. Some passengers may also be upgraded to business class.

If this is not acceptable to any passengers, there is the option of rebooking onto an alternative BA operated service between London and Cairo on an alternative date. Affected passengers can check the status of their booking using the Manage My Booking tool on ba.com

BA relaunches Gatwick – Sharm El Sheikh from September 2015

London Air Travel » Egypt

London Gatwick Airfield (Image Credit: London Gatwick Airport)
London Gatwick Airfield (Image Credit: London Gatwick Airport)

BA will return to Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt from mid September 2015.

The airline will initially fly to Sharm El Sheikh initially twice a week on Monday and Thursdays, then increasing to thrice weekly.

This is by no means the first time BA will fly to Sharm El Sheikh. BA’s franchise partner, GB Airways, used to fly there in BA colours until it was acquired by easyJet.

BA then operated a long-haul Boeing 777 a few years ago, but a combination of brutal timings and the Arab Spring led to the route being cancelled in 2011.

BA will fly to Sharm El Sheikh using an Airbus A320, offering EuroTraveller economy and Club Europe business class, so no in-flight entertainment or flat beds in business class.

The good news is that the timings are quite agreeable for in the inbound and outbound flights. This is a typical timetable. The exact timings may vary throughout the season.

Flight BA2560 Depart London Gatwick 09:00 – Arrive Sharm El Sheikh 16:20
Flight BA2561 Depart Sharm El Sheikh 17:10 – Arrive London Gatwick 20:55

Flights are now on sale on ba.com