British Airways short-haul returns to Gatwick after nearly two years

First flight left for Larnaca this morning, with 35 new routes launching this month

A British Airways jet at Gatwick (British Airways)

British Airways short-haul operations return to Gatwick Airport today after nearly two years.

The first BA European flight from the Sussex airport left at 6.25am, headed for Larnaca, Cyprus, just two days after Gatwick’s South Terminal reopened to passengers.

The terminal, which contains the airline’s First and Club lounges, reopened on Sunday after lying dormant since June 2020.

BA paused all flights from Gatwick in spring 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While long-haul links to the Caribbean and beyond reopened later that year, all European flying was suspended.

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Tuesday’s flights are the first offerings from BA’s new Gatwick-specific operation, encompassing 35 short-haul routes which will eventually become a subsidiary of the brand, “EuroFlyer”, similar to its “CityFlyer” programme from London City Airport.

“Initially services will operate under the British Airways Air Operators Certificate (AOC), before moving operations to a new British Airways branded subsidiary, BA Euroflyer later in the year,” says a statement from the carrier.

“The new airline will operate in a similar manner to the company’s existing subsidiary BA Cityflyer, flying under the British Airways brand and delivering a premium British Airways product.”

Flyers should expect the same generous 46kg hand baggage allowance as they had on previous short-haul BA flights, as well as free water and snacks, free seat selection 24 hours before departure, and frequent flyer benefits such as lounge access.

There will also be the same Club Europe (business) cabin on all aircraft.

Initial routes include Tenerife, Ibiza, Faro and Marrakech.

Tom Stoddart, Acting CEO British Airways Euroflyer, says: “Today marks a significant milestone for British Airways as we operate our first European services from Gatwick in two years.”

“I am really proud of what we have created at Gatwick, we have an excellent team with lots of new and exciting talent. I am looking forward to seeing our newest subsidiary grow, adding new routes and providing customers with more options to get away on holiday with a premium British Airways service.”

Wizz Air is also expanding its routes from Gatwick this spring, with 18 new routes launched yesterday including Bari, Tel Aviv and Funchal; while Virgin Atlantic’s CEO Shai Weiss has confirmed that the airline won’t return to its former Sussex base in 2022.