British Airways is gearing up for its biggest network expansion in years, with ten new or returning destinations rolling out from London between now and summer 2027. The list mixes genuinely new territory — St Louis, Tivat, Rovaniemi, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar have never had BA service — with long-lost routes coming back after two decades away.
The headline news for safari-and-beach travellers is Tanzania. From May 29, 2027, BA will fly three times weekly from Gatwick to both Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar using 777-200ERs, with each flight continuing on to the other city. It's the airline's first return to Tanzania since it dropped Dar es Salaam in 2013, and notably it's skipping the biggest city entirely in favour of leisure traffic. Industry analysts point to roughly 90,000 round-trip passengers travelling between London and the two spots last year with no direct option, mostly safari-goers and higher-spending holidaymakers rather than budget backpackers — a strong signal the route could go year-round quickly.
The transatlantic side is already outperforming. St Louis joins the network on April 19, 2026, with four weekly 787-8 flights from Heathrow, BA's first time serving the Missouri city. Even before the first flight, frequencies have been beefed up: 2027 will see the season start three weeks earlier and ramp up to daily service through May and June.
Elsewhere, the additions are a nice spread of trip types. Guernsey returns to Heathrow from April 19, 2026 — the island last had BA flights from Gatwick back in 2003. Tivat in Montenegro gets three weekly A320 flights from May 14. Toulon comes back via London City from May 23, served by BA CityFlyer E190s for the first time since 2004. Colombo lands at Gatwick on October 23, 2026, with three weekly 777 flights — BA served Sri Lanka briefly between 2013 and 2015, then via the Maldives. A seasonal Cologne route returns in late November 2026 for the Christmas markets, and Rovaniemi — Lapland's Santa country — starts from Gatwick on December 4, 2026, as a new winter-sun-in-reverse option two times weekly.
The most surprising revival is Melbourne. From January 9, 2027, BA will fly daily 787-9s from Heathrow via Kuala Lumpur, its first Melbourne service since 2006. The timing is pointed: oneworld partner Qantas is about to relaunch its own same-plane Melbourne-to-London service via Perth, and Finnair is also entering the Victoria market, so the Australia-London corridor is suddenly crowded again.
For travellers, the practical takeaway is that both Heathrow and Gatwick benefit, and schedules are still being adjusted — these dates reflect what was filed as of early October and could shift. But if you've been waiting for a one-stop way to reach Zanzibar's beaches, Kilimanjaro's safari circuit, or Lapland in winter on a full-service carrier, the options just got a lot better. More destinations are expected to be announced.
