British Airways is to expand its Gatwick schedules by over 150 weekly flights this summer, following the recent purchase of take-off and landing slots from the defunct Monarch Airlines.

The carrier says that that summer 2018 “is set to be the airline’s biggest schedule in almost a decade”, with additional frequencies on routes to Malaga (up from 27 to 35 weekly flights), Alicante (up from 14 to 22), Faro (up from 17 to 21), Tenerife (up from six to 13), Madeira (up from six to nine), and Lanzarote (up from three to five).

BA will also add new Gatwick services to Palma, Mahon and Gibraltar this summer.

The airline has also used the announcement to highlight its growth at Gatwick over the last five years, from 48 destinations in 2012, to 74 today, and from 4.4 million passengers to 6.12 million, which CEO Alex Cruz said “undoubtedly highlights our commitment and focus to growing our Gatwick operation”.

Note that “a small number” of BA’s Gatwick services this summer will be operated by Titan Airways on behalf of British Airways – regular readers will know that the carrier has used the charter airline for several years to cover routes when aircraft experience operational issues.

ba.com