Anyone hoping to fly British Airways between London Heathrow and Abu Dhabi has been dealt another blow. The route, which has been suspended since late February following the regional disruption caused by the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, had been pencilled in for a January 2027 comeback in aviation schedule data. That restart date has now vanished entirely, with no BA flights between the two capitals listed for next year at all.
It is a notable reversal. BA had already pushed the relaunch back once — an October return was originally mooted as part of the winter schedule, before shifting to a planned six-weekly service on Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 Dreamliners. Now the route seems to have fallen off the long-haul map altogether, at least for now.
What makes Abu Dhabi stand out is that the rest of BA's Middle Eastern network is slowly switching back on. Doha is currently the only city the airline serves in the region, running daily Heathrow flights that will grow to twice daily in late March. Tel Aviv restarts first, with daily flights from late October, followed in November by Dubai and Riyadh — both of which are slated to reach double daily frequency next spring. Amman returns in November at four flights a week, and Bahrain is due back with a daily service in late March. BA's Middle East capacity overall remains down a striking 88% compared to September 2025, so everything here is still hostage to regional stability.
For travellers, the practical picture is simple: Etihad Airways is now the only carrier flying nonstop between the UK and Abu Dhabi. And it is not exactly a token presence. From Heathrow, the UAE flag carrier operates four flights a day, three of them on the Airbus A380, with A350-1000s, 777-300ERs and 787s filling out the rest. Etihad also flies twice daily from Manchester, so northern-based passengers are well served without a London connection.
In other words, getting to Abu Dhabi remains easy — arguably more comfortable than ever if you fancy a double-decker A380 — it is just that the oneworld option from Heathrow has gone quiet. Anyone holding BA bookings on the route should keep an eye on their inbox, and travellers weighing up the two cities might note that BA's Dubai service resumes in November with daily flights, rising to twice daily in spring.
Whether Abu Dhabi returns to BA's timetable depends heavily on how the region settles down over the coming months. For now, though, if the UAE capital is on your list, Etihad is your ride.
Story via Simple Flying.