British Airways confirms the destination network of its new Gatwick subsidiary

The new British Airways subsidiary specialized in short-haul flights and is based at London-Gatwick airport will have an initial network that will serve 35 European and North African destinations.

Scheduled operations will commence on March 29, 2022, with services to Amsterdam, Larnaca, Paphos, Seville, Tenerife, and Verona opening on that day, with the network gradually being completed over the next 30 days.

British Airways will initially base three A320 family aircraft at Gatwick, growing to 18 by the end of May.

The new subsidiary will be a separate unit, similar to the one at London City Airport, although it will operate under the British Airways brand and under the same service standards. However, until it obtains its own air operator’s certificate, it will be its parent company that will operate the flights.

This marks the return of British Airways’ short-haul operations to Gatwick, which were suspended in March 2020 when the pandemic broke out, with several routes having been moved to Heathrow, some of which will continue to be operated from there anyway, such as Faro, Ibiza, Malaga, Marrakech, and Tenerife.

Tickets for the new routes from Gatwick are on sale from today with fares from £39 per leg.

«This day represents a milestone for British Airways. The creation of a new short-haul flight organization means that customers at Gatwick will now benefit from access to premium service from the UK’s flagship airline at competitive prices,» commented Sean Doyle, CEO of British Airways.

Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick Airport, said, «This very significant news will be welcomed by many people with connections to the airport. In spite of the current health situation, this announcement is a positive sign that consumer confidence is reviving as people start to think about their travel plans for next summer.»