After decades of decline in its flight network to Australia, British Airways will resume flying from London Heathrow to Melbourne in January 2027.
Currently BA’s only Australian route is Sydney, with a single daily flight in each direction via Singapore.
The airline has shrunk its Australian services as airlines from the Gulf and Southeast Asia took more of the market. But British Airways will now extend its daily London-Kuala Lumpur service to Melbourne, which is increasingly rivalling Sydney for commercial importance and as a tourist destination.
At present, there are no direct services between the UK and Melbourne. The only Australian location besides Sydney with a direct link from the UK is Perth; the flight from London Heathrow is nonstop to the Western Australian capital, but in the opposite direction a fuel stop is currently necessary in Singapore due to airspace closures in the Gulf.
In addition, BA will return to Colombo in Sri Lanka, starting in October 2026. The link will operate three times a week, only for the winter season.
BA is adding more flights on existing routes, including Delhi, Cape Town, Tokyo Haneda, Barbados, the Jamaican capital Kingston and San Jose in Costa Rica. The airline says it will operate nine per cent more long-haul flights over next winter compared with the current season.
The expansion was planned before the Middle East conflict began, but preference for nonstop flights to Asian destinations is likely to grow as passengers on Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways experience severe disruption.
Neil Chernoff, BA’s chief planning and strategy officer, said: “We’re delighted to announce sizeable growth to our flying schedule for winter 2026, including two notable new destinations that I’m confident will prove popular with our customers.
“We’re also increasing services across several high-demand routes around the world. Together, these changes represent a significant investment in our long-haul leisure network.”
Separately, BA is extending cancellations to Amman, Bahrain, Dubai, Tel Aviv up to 31 May.
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