Courtesy Aeronews

British Airways has announced a significant planned expansion to its network for winter 2026, with the addition of two new destinations, Melbourne in Australia and Colombo in Sri Lanka.  

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In addition, the airline will be adding more flights for winter to Cape Town (South Africa), Haneda (Tokyo), Bridgetown (Barbados), Kingston (Jamaica) and San Jose (Costa Rica). The new schedule reflects a 9 per cent growth in British Airways’ long-haul route network, as the airline continues to invest in providing more choice for customers.

These planned new routes and frequency growth for winter 2026 is in addition to short-term capacity increases to destinations to meet customer demand, as a result of the situation in the Middle East. British Airways added seven extra return services to Bangkok and Singapore in the last week and will continue to review its schedule and add additional flights to destinations as needed.

Demand for travel continues to remain strong, and as customers look for alternative holiday destinations in the immediate term, British Airways Holidays has seen a rise in searches for popular destinations like Antigua and Gran Canaria, which have increased by 63% and 50% respectively.

Melbourne, Australia 

British Airways will commence flights to Melbourne in Australia from 9 January 2027, launching in time for the Australian Open and the Melbourne Grand Prix. Flights will operate year-round from London Heathrow, via Kuala Lumpur, on a daily basis.

Customers have a choice of 4 cabins – World Traveller (economy), World Traveller Plus (premium economy), Club World (business class) and First. Return fares start from £1,130 (including taxes and carrier fees) and are on sale from 17 March.

Colombo, Sri Lanka 

Launching on 23 October 2026, British Airways will fly three times per week from London Gatwick to Colombo, the vibrant gateway to Sri Lanka. The route will operate for the winter season only.

Customers have a choice of 3 cabins – World Traveller (economy), World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and Club World (business class). Return fares start from £620 (including taxes and carrier fees) and are on sale from 17 March.