British Airways has put several flight routes on hold due to technical issues, including some from a major UK airport to New York.
Flights from London Gatwick to the Big Apple will not go ahead for three months due to delivery issues with Rolls-Royce, delaying new engines and other parts from arriving.
The London Gatwick to New York route is being suspended from December 12 to March 25, potentially causing chaos for Brits hoping to visit over Christmas.
Passengers with flights already booked – potentially in the thousands – will have to arrange alternative routes. The costs of heading to the Big Apple now may become significantly higher as there are fewer seats available.
BA launched the service from Gatwick to New York in 2015, making it the third London airport to do so, after Heathrow and London City.
A British Airways spokesperson said: “We’ve taken this action because we do not believe the issue will be solved quickly, and we want to offer our customers the certainty they deserve.
“We’ve apologised to those affected and are able to offer the vast majority a flight the same day with British Airways or one of our partner airlines.
“We continue to work closely with Rolls-Royce to ensure the company is aware of the impact its issues are having on our schedule and customers, and seek reassurance of a prompt and reliable solution.”
A Rolls Royce spokesperson added: ” We continue to work with British Airways and all of our customers to minimise the impact of the limited availability of spares due to the current supply chain constraints. Unfortunately, this is an issue affecting the whole aerospace industry.”
Those who still want to fly with BA will have to book flights from Heathrow instead, and those wanting to fly out from Gatwick can opt for a Norse Airways flight.
The cheapest flights with Norse Airways from Gatwick to New York will set you back just £265.
Other flights are being affected by the delays in delivery, including those from London to Kuala Lumpur, which have been suspended from from November until next April.
All routes from Southampton Airport have been suspended for summer 2025, and the route from Heathrow to Beijing has been paused until at least next November.
All of the airline’s cancellations are said to have affected an estimated 200,000 passengers.
