British Airways firms up its “new” Gatwick operation – 35 routes announced

Its taken some time as well as tussles with unions – but British Airways is ready to launch its “new” Gatwick subsidiary operation – BA Euroflyer.

 
British Airways A320 at Heathrow Airport -Image, Economy Class and Beyond.

Tickets go on sale today for flights starting on the 29th of March 2022. 

The airline announced its intention to create a short-haul standalone business at Gatwick in August, similar to its operation from London City Airport, which operates under the British Airways name but exists as an entirely separate entity. The offshoot will launch later in 2022, with short-haul services at Gatwick being operated by mainline BA until the new entities’ Air Operators Certificate is issued.

British Airways short-haul flights will start operating from Gatwick at the end of March, with three Airbus short-haul aircraft initially, ramping ramp up to 18 aircraft by the end of May.

The new subsidiary will mark the return of short-haul flying out of Gatwick, which was suspended due to the pandemic. It will serve 35 short-haul destinations in due course. These include:

The new airline operating out of Gatwick will be branded and known as “British Airways”,  whilst the company operating the flights will be known as “BA Euroflyer”.

The new company will utilise the British Airways A320 family fleet. 

It will offer a two-class service out of Gatwick, with Club Europe (Business Class) and Euro Traveller (Economy Class) offered, with the usual service levels offered. 

In Quotes

Sean Doyle, British Airways Chairman and CEO, said: 

“Today is a landmark moment for British Airways. The creation of a new British Airways short-haul organisation means Gatwick customers will benefit from access to a premium service from the UK’s flag carrier at competitive prices. We are looking forward to bringing a short-haul network back to Gatwick, with a fantastic flying team in place, to serve our customers from London’s second hub airport, which we feel sure will be a success.”

Stewart Wingate, CEO, Gatwick Airport, said: 

“This significant news will be very welcome for many people connected to the airport.  Despite the ongoing public health situation, today’s announcement is a positive signal that consumer confidence is returning as people start thinking about making travel plans for next summer.

“Given the difficult period we have all just been through, we expect BA’s new and extensive network of services from Gatwick to destinations across Europe to be in high demand and our staff, retailers, restaurants, cafes and bars are all looking forward to welcoming BA passengers back in larger numbers from April next year.”

On sale today

Lead-in fares start from £39 on some routes (based on a return fare), with British Airways Holidays offering package holidays on routes operated from Gatwick from £119 per person (the airline highlighting deals to Venice and Nice for example).

As usual, pricing will vary on frequency, demand, how the wind blows and so on. 

For those who are looking to book with Avios, this could also be a good time to shake down that particular piggy bank if you want to contain costs. 

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