British Airways has confirmed a seven-route expansion for 2027 that stretches far beyond its Heathrow heartland, placing new nonstop flights at Edinburgh, Glasgow, London City and Gatwick alongside a returning long-haul link that has been absent for two decades. The mix of BA mainline and BA CityFlyer flying reflects a deliberate attempt to squeeze more value from gateways with spare capacity while London’s slot-starved hub remains the primary anchor. The programme spans Scandinavia, Greece, Italy, Croatia, France and East Africa, with start dates spaced from January 9 to May 29, 2027. For travellers in Scotland, the Highlands and southern England, the changes represent the most meaningful shift in British Airways route planning in years.
British Airways Heathrow to Bergen Resumes After Eight-Year Absence
The first of the two Heathrow additions restores a link that British Airways last flew in 2017, having inherited the service from bmi before withdrawing it. From April 15, 2027, the airline will operate five weekly rotations from Heathrow to Bergen, Norway’s second most populous metropolitan area and a gateway for the fjord cruises that draw visitors year-round. The schedule is deliberately irregular, running on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, a pattern shaped largely by Heathrow slot scarcity rather than demand. Outbound departures leave at 7:45 AM on Mondays, 8:40 AM on Wednesdays, and 8:25 AM on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with return legs timed between midday and early afternoon. The route will be flown mainly by the Airbus A319, and BA will be one of only two operators from London to Bergen, joining Norwegian, which serves the city from Gatwick. The return also gives Heathrow a Scandinavian option it has lacked since BA’s earlier exit, reinforcing the hub’s North Sea connectivity.
Heathrow to Skiathos Becomes a Heathrow First on the A320neo
The more notable of the two Heathrow launches is Heathrow to Skiathos, which breaks new ground because the UK’s busiest airport has never had nonstop service to the Greek island. Beginning May 20, 2027, BA will fly the 2,306-kilometre route three times weekly with the Airbus A320neo, replacing the London City–Skiathos service that BA CityFlyer has operated since 2017. Flights depart on Thursdays at 8:00 AM and on Mondays and Saturdays at 8:55 AM, returning in the early to mid-afternoon. Skiathos is famous for the extraordinarily low final approach over a public road, often described as Europe’s answer to St. Maarten, and the switch to Heathrow signals how far premium leisure travel has reshaped the hub’s destination map. Heathrow will now offer nonstop flights to 12 Greek destinations, behind only Gatwick and Stansted, which each serve 16.
BA CityFlyer Adds Perugia, Split and Nice From Three UK Airports
Three of the seven routes fall to BA CityFlyer, whose fleet consists entirely of the 106-seat Embraer E190 because of London City’s steep approach and short runway. On May 1, 2027, the regional unit begins a weekly Saturday service from London City to Perugia, replacing the Heathrow–Perugia flights that have run since 2022 and marking the first time the Italian city has been served from the downtown airport. London City will then offer flights to four Italian cities. On May 15, CityFlyer introduces a Saturday Edinburgh to Split rotation and a Sunday Glasgow to Nice service, using aircraft that would otherwise sit idle for half the weekend while London City is closed. This weekend-leisure model has become a CityFlyer signature, though it appears the airline’s summer activity from Stansted has been cut for next year, narrowing its English regional footprint.
Heathrow to Melbourne Returns Via Kuala Lumpur
The long-haul centrepiece is the relaunch of Heathrow to Melbourne on January 9, 2027, a route BA has not flown for 20 years. This time the service routes via Kuala Lumpur rather than Singapore, operated daily by the Boeing 787-9, and it follows oneworld partner Finnair, which began Melbourne flights at the end of October 2026. BA’s return to Tanzania is equally significant. From May 29, the airline flies Gatwick to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar three times weekly with the Boeing 777-200ER, routing Gatwick–Kilimanjaro–Zanzibar–Gatwick. BA last served Tanzania in 2013, when it flew to Dar es Salaam, the largest city but not the capital; the new pairing targets safari and beach demand rather than business traffic.
What the 2027 British Airways Route Expansion Means for Travellers
The seven launches give British Airways a rare combination of hub depth and regional reach, pushing Heathrow toward 12 Greek destinations while turning Edinburgh, Glasgow and London City into genuine weekend leisure gateways. Booking windows will open in stages, and travellers heading to Bergen should expect Monday and Wednesday timings that suit short breaks rather than business day trips. The Melbourne return restores a oneworld long-haul option to Victoria, and the Tanzania pair gives East African safari itineraries a direct UK link for the first time in 14 years. With Gatwick, Heathrow and the Scottish airports all gaining capacity, the network plan shows how far British Airways’ 2027 schedule has moved from a single-hub model toward a distributed one.
