Airlines British Airways expands Gatwick operations

Three months after the insolvency of one of the largest carriers at Gatwick Airport, Monarch Airlines, British Airways has announced to increase its number of flights at the second largest airport in the UK.

Following the acquisition of all former Monarch Air slots in London Gatwick, British Airways will add up to 150 weekly flights to its existing flight schedule with around 1000 flights in a week as a peak in Summer 2017. The carrier focuses on leisure destinations in the Mediterranean region. British Airways will increase the number of flights to Malaga from 27 to 35, Alicante from 14 to 22 and Faro from 17 to 21, while the airline’s summer flights to Tenerife will increase from six per week to 13, Madeira will be bolstered from six to nine per week and Lanzarote will rise from three to five flights per week.

Additionally, British Airways plans to add new destinations to its Gatwick network as Alex Cruz, British Airways’ chairman and CEO, said: “We are delighted to be able to further grow our presence at Gatwick by adding extra frequencies and improving our timetable. We are also introducing several new destinations to the Gatwick programme, including Palma (Majorca), Mahon (Menorca) and Gibraltar.”

In addition to the extension to the short haul network, British Airways has already announced the new long-haul destinations Toronto, Las Vegas, Oakland and Fort Lauderdale for Summer 2018.

London Gatwick is the second biggest airport in the UK and one of the busiest single-use runways in the world. Several airlines, including TUI Airways, Thomas Cook Airlines, Easyjet and Norwegian offer flights, mostly to European leisure destinations.