The busy Dubai market will get even more crowded this winter. Following the end of Ramadan, British Airways is adding an extra three flights a week from London Heathrow and upgrading one of its existing planes from a B777 to a larger B747-400 from the end of October.
The new B767 service operates from Heathrow overnight every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday as BA105. It departs at 2050 reaching Dubai the next morning at 0805. In the return direction, BA104 leaves Dubai at 1155 to reach Heathrow at 1600.
The existing daily flight being upgraded to a larger capacity B747-400 (a plane which knowledgeable travellers claim provides more ambience in its first and business class cabins) is BA107. This departs Heathrow at 1230 and reaches Dubai late the same day at 2320. The B747-400 returns as BA106 from Dubai at 0300 arriving into Heathrow at 0640.
The existing daily B777 services are BA109 which operates overnight from Heathrow at 2140 and into Dubai at 0835, along with BA108 leaving Dubai at 1015 and arriving Heathrow at 1400.
BA's main rivals on the route are Emirates (with five daily flights from London Heathrow and three from Gatwick) and Virgin Atlantic (with a single daily service). But neither operates the B747 on the Dubai route.
B747 fans who take BA's Australian services (where the daily flight to Sydney via Singapore is downgraded from a B747 to a B777) will be miffed to see their favourite plane reappearing on the Dubai route (see Online news, August 16).
But BA's rationale behind expanding its Dubai services is as much to do with feeding its vast network beyond Heathrow as it is to serving the UK market.
Says a BA spokesperson, "Where possible we endeavour to operate a timetable where passengers can transfer to other flights. Dubai is a very important market for us and we intend to add extra capacity to routes which make a profitable contribution to our business."
Readers checking BA's schedules to and from Dubai will see they are perfectly timed for connections both within the UK, to mainland Europe and North America.
For further information go to ba.com.
Report by Alex McWhirter
