Back at it: British Airways restarts short-haul operations from Gatwick
British Airways (BA) restarted short-haul operations from Gatwick today, the airline announced.
Services – including flights to Amsterdam, Ibiza and Marrakech – will initially operate under BA’s Air Operators Certificate before moving to subsidiary BA Euroflyer.
“Today marks a significant milestone for British Airways as we operate our first European services from Gatwick in two years,” said Tom Stoddart, BA Euroflyer’s acting chief executive.
BA was forced to shut down operations in 2020 at the height of the pandemic and its return comes a day after Gatwick reopened the South Terminal.
“I am really proud of what we have created at Gatwick, we have an excellent team with lots of new and exciting talent.”
The airline started recruiting pilots and cabin crew members in December following months of talks between BA and trade unions, City A.M. reported.
The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) had initially shut down BA’s plans to restart flying from Gatwick but gave the green light in November, after “an acceptable agreement” was reached by the two parties.