British Airways has announced plans to expand its long-haul network for the winter 2026 season, adding new destinations and increasing flights on several popular routes. The additions mean the airline’s long-haul network is expected to grow by about nine 9% compared with the previous winter schedule.
Two new destinations
One of the biggest announcements is the addition of two new destinations: Melbourne in Australia and Colombo in Sri Lanka.
Flights to Melbourne will start on Jan. 9, 2027 and will run year-round from London Heathrow via Kuala Lumpur with a daily service. The timing of the launch lines up with major events in the city, including the Australian Open and the Melbourne Grand Prix.
Melbourne is the capital of the state of Victoria and is often described as Australia’s cultural hub. It is also a starting point for travelling around southern Australia, including places like the Great Ocean Road, the Grampians National Park and the High Country.
The second new route will connect London Gatwick with Colombo in Sri Lanka. This service will begin on Oct. 23, 2026 and will operate 3 times per week during the winter season, bringing passengers direct to island sun and picturesque beaches.
Tickets for both these new routes go on sale today with flights to Melbourne starting from £1,130 and flights to Colombo starting from £620.
More flights to popular destinations
As well as adding new destinations, British Airways is also increasing the number of flights on several existing routes. These include Cape Town (South Africa), Tokyo Haneda (Japan), Barbados, Kingston (Jamaica) and San José (Costa Rica).
For example, the airline plans to introduce a third daily flight from London Heathrow to Cape Town. Flights to Tokyo Haneda will increase to twice a day, while other destinations will also see more frequent services throughout the winter schedule.
British Airways’ Chief planning and strategy officer Neil Chernoff said,
“We’re delighted to announce sizeable growth to our flying schedule for winter 2026, including two notable new destinations that I’m confident will prove popular with our customers. We’re also increasing services across several high-demand routes around the world. Together, these changes represent a significant investment in our long-haul leisure network, adding even more options and choice for our customers.”
Middle East schedule changes
The airline has also made some short-term changes to its schedule because of the current situation in the Middle East. Recently, British Airways added seven extra return flights to Bangkok and Singapore to help meet demand. This added more than 3,300 extra seats between March 10 and March 19.
At the same time, flights to several destinations in the region have been temporarily cancelled. Services to Amman, Bahrain, Dubai and Tel Aviv are cancelled until the end of May, while flights to Doha are cancelled until April 30.
Despite this, British Airways says demand for travel remains strong with a 40% increase in customers looking for alternative holiday destinations, such as the Caribbean.
With new destinations and more frequent flights being added to the schedule, there could be more opportunities to explore different parts of the world in the coming winter season.
Will you be exploring these new destinations with British Airways? Let us know in the comments below.
