British Airways is reshaping its long-haul network for 2027 with a major change to one of its most distinctive South American services. The airline will replace its nonstop London Heathrow–Santiago route with a one-stop operation through Buenos Aires, creating a scheduled journey of approximately 18 hours and five minutes between the UK and Chilean capitals. The change is part of a broader expansion across Latin America and other long-haul markets.
The current British Airways service between London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Santiago International Airport (SCL) is the airline’s longest nonstop route, covering approximately 7,227 miles in around 14 hours and 35 minutes. From May 2027, passengers will instead travel from Heathrow to Buenos Aires before continuing to Santiago. Although the revised itinerary adds a stop, British Airways will increase the Santiago operation to daily flights, compared with the current three to four weekly nonstop schedule.
British Airways London–Santiago Route Will Take 18 Hours
The new routing will use Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) as the intermediate point. Flight BA245 will depart London Heathrow at 7:25 p.m., arriving in Buenos Aires at 5:25 a.m. the following morning. After a scheduled stop of approximately one hour and 50 minutes, the aircraft will continue to Santiago at 7:15 a.m., arriving at 8:30 a.m.
The westbound schedule gives the revised journey a total scheduled duration of 18 hours and five minutes. The return service, BA244, will depart Santiago at 10:10 a.m., reach Buenos Aires at 1:10 p.m., and then leave Argentina at 3:10 p.m. for an overnight arrival at Heathrow at 8:30 a.m. the next day.
For travelers, the change represents a significant difference from the existing nonstop experience. However, British Airways will simultaneously strengthen its overall South American network, making Buenos Aires a more important component of its regional operation.
Boeing 777-200ER Brings Club Suites to Santiago
British Airways plans to operate the revised Santiago routing with its 272-seat Boeing 777-200ER. According to ch-aviation, the airline currently operates 46 examples of the type, making the 777-200ER an important part of its widebody fleet.
The aircraft assigned to the route will feature the latest version of British Airways’ Club World cabin, including 48 Club Suites arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. The Collins Aerospace Elevation-based seats provide direct aisle access, sliding privacy doors, a 21-inch seat width, and a fully flat bed measuring 79 inches.
Behind Club World, the aircraft will offer 40 World Traveller Plus seats in a 2-4-2 layout and 184 World Traveller seats arranged 3-4-3. This gives passengers across all three cabins a familiar British Airways long-haul configuration while introducing the carrier’s newer business-class product to the Santiago operation.
A Return to British Airways’ Historic Buenos Aires Routing
The new itinerary also revives an older chapter in British Airways’ South American network. The airline previously served Santiago via Buenos Aires, using the Boeing 747-400, with that routing continuing until 2000.
British Airways later restored the London–Santiago market in 2017, this time with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner operating the route nonstop. During the years between those operations, passengers often traveled through other European or South American hubs, including Madrid and São Paulo.
The 2027 change therefore marks a return to a routing British Airways has used before, although with a modern 777-200ER and a substantially different network strategy.
British Airways Expands Latin America Capacity by 25%
The Santiago adjustment is only one part of British Airways’ broader Summer 2027 Latin America expansion. The airline plans to increase capacity across the region by approximately 25% compared with Summer 2026.
Buenos Aires will gain direct capacity as British Airways changes its existing London–Buenos Aires–Rio de Janeiro operation into a nonstop London Heathrow–Buenos Aires service. The change also creates additional direct capacity opportunities for Rio de Janeiro, while strengthening Buenos Aires as a standalone destination.
British Airways will also make London Heathrow–San José, Costa Rica, a year-round route, operating three times weekly on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. In the Caribbean, the airline will continue its London Gatwick–Barbados service through Summer 2027, retaining onward tags to Grenada, Guyana, and Tobago. Its direct Gatwick–St. Lucia service will operate four times weekly during the summer.
New Tanzania Routes Add Further Long-Haul Growth
British Airways is also adding Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar to its network, with services from London Gatwick scheduled to begin in May 2027. The additions complement frequency increases elsewhere in the carrier’s international network, including flights to Las Vegas, Baltimore, Houston, New Orleans, Cape Town, Tokyo Haneda, and Punta Cana.
Taken together, the changes show British Airways using its 2027 schedule to increase capacity across multiple markets while reshaping established routes. The 18-hour London–Santiago journey via Buenos Aires will be one of the most notable changes, replacing a rare nonstop connection with a daily one-stop service while connecting the route more closely to British Airways’ expanding South American network.
