British Airways resumes short-haul flights from Gatwick

British Airways has today resumed its short-haul operations from London Gatwick, following the reopening of the airport’s South Terminal on the weekend.

The airline had not operated any short-haul services from Gatwick airport (with the exception of a small number of domestic flights) since the onset of Covid-19.

The first service departed for Larnaca in Cyprus at 0625, with other departures today including flights to Amsterdam, Tenerife and Paphos.

The airline will offer a total of 35 destinations from London Gatwick – see a list at the end of the article – and is set to add further destinations later this year.

The initial services will operate under the British Airways Air Operators Certificate (AOC) before moving operations to a new BA-branded subsidiary BA Euroflyer later in the year.

In a press release, British Airways stated:

“Although registered as ‘BA Euroflyer’ the subsidiary will be branded as ‘British Airways’ across its aircraft and its customer touchpoints.”

The airline added that the new subsidiary will operate in a similar manner to the company’s existing subsidiary BA Cityflyer.

The subsidiary will include a “generous baggage allowance, free water and snacks, free seat selection and frequent flyer benefits which include lounge access.”

Tom Stoddart, Acting CEO British Airways Euroflyer, said:

“Today marks a significant milestone for British Airways as we operate our first European services from Gatwick in two years.

“I am really proud of what we have created at Gatwick, we have an excellent team with lots of new and exciting talent. I am looking forward in anticipation to see our newest subsidiary grow, adding new routes and providing customers with more options to get away on holiday with a premium British Airways service.”

British Airways has also unveiled a new World Traveller Plus check-in zone next to its Club World desks at Gatwick’s South Terminal, which is open to customers flying long-haul. These are soon set to be rolled out at Heathrow airport, followed by the rest of the BA network.

gatwickairport.com ; ba.com