British Airways Inaugurates 2 New Caribbean Routes

British Airways has celebrated its inaugural flights to two new destinations this week. From its long-haul leisure hub at London Gatwick Airport (LGW), the carrier flew for the first time to Aruba (AUA) on March 26th, and to Georgetown (GEO) on March 27th.

The airline received a special welcome upon arrival at Aruba’s Queen Beatrix International Airport, and the flight had extra special meaning for one of the cabin crew members, Arelis Spanner, who was born on the island. She went on to say,

“This is such a special day – I’m so proud that British Airways is flying to my home country and to be able to travel on the inaugural flight has been an amazing homecoming.”

Photo: British Airways

Both services have been tagged onto existing routes – flights to Aruba will operate via Antigua (ANU), while flights to Georgetown will route via St Lucia (UVF), as per the following schedules:

British Airways’ Boeing 777-200ERs

Flights are operated year-round by the airline’s London Gatwick-based Boeing 777-200ERs, which seat a total of 332 passengers in a three-class configuration – 32 in business class, 48 in premium economy, and 252 in economy class. The aircraft’s economy class features a desnely packed 3-4-3 layout, compared to that of the carrier’s London Heathrow-based Boeing 777-200ERs, which is 3-3-3.

Photo: British Airways

The airline now serves 17 destinations around the Caribbean and Mexico, more than any other UK airline. This includes Tobago (TAB), which welcomed its first direct British Airways flight from London Gatwick Airport on March 26th. The three-weekly service was previously flown via St Lucia. British charter airline TUI Airways has operated the London Gatwick to Aruba route in the past with its fleet of Boeing 787s, but as of this summer, British Airways will not face any direct competition on either route.

London Gatwick Airport’s growing route network

London Gatwick Airport has been experiencing a boom of post-pandemic long-haul routes recently. As of this week, Air India now connects the UK’s second-busiest airport with four cities in India – Amritsar (ATQ), Ahmedabad (AMD), Goa (GOI), and Kochi (COK). All four routes will be operated by the carrier’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

British Airways itself will soon launch another new long-haul destination from London Gatwick Airport, when it commences its seasonal service to Vancouver (YVR) on May 19th. The airport will also welcome Air Mauritius, Delta Air Lines, and Saudia later this year.

Photo: IanC66 | Shutterstock

Over in the Caribbean, Aruba will see a number of additional routes to the nearby South American country of Colombia this summer. Avianca will begin flying to the island from Medellín (MDE) on June 1st, and Wingo will inaugurate its Cali (CLO) to Aruba route on July 1st. The changes in the island’s route network to Colombia come following the collapse of Viva Air, which ceased operations in February 2023.

Will you be flying on one of British Airways’ new long-haul routes from London Gatwick Airport this summer? Share your plans by commenting below.