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British Airways abandons plan to stop flights to Bahrain

Harry November 21, 2024

British Airways has decided that flights between London and Bahrain will continue through 2025, in an apparent U-turn from the previous decision announced in early November 2024. The route was suspended after March 2025, along with services to Kuwait City. Ongoing problems with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines It powers the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet.

The announcement to suspend flights between London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Bahrain International Airport (BAH) comes as the carrier struggles with aircraft availability as maintenance problems with Rolls-Royce engines intensify. Besides Bahrain and Kuwait, other routes experiencing disruptions due to the same issue are Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur (KUL). Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Miami (MIA), and London-Gatwick (LGW) to New York-JFK (JFK). Meanwhile, for economic reasons, services to Hong Kong were cut and services to Beijing were also stopped.

The decision to suspend services to Bahrain came as a shock to many as the airline had served the Kingdom of Bahrain for an astonishing 92 years. Imperial Airways, British Airways’ predecessor, first launched flights to Bahrain in October 1932; At that time, Bahrain became the airline’s first service to the Middle East region. The country has also been an important international ally of the UK for decades, both diplomatically and as a key partner in international trade. Bahrain was a British protectorate for more than 100 years before gaining independence in 1971.

Kuwait (KWI), which looks set to continue the suspension of flights, has been on the airline’s route network for 63 years, but the airline states that the decision to suspend flights to Kuwait will be kept “under review”. Kuwait became a British protectorate in 1899 and gained independence in 1961.

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British Airways He also claimed that direct flights to Bahrain and Kuwait were no longer commercially viable, putting the carrier’s staff at both hubs at risk of losing their jobs. However, according to sources, senior UK Government officials criticized the decision to cut the Bahrain route, saying the move would “send the wrong message about the UK’s diplomatic intentions and would also harm the UK’s commercial interests in the region”.

Additionally, Bahraini officials were reportedly angered that they were not consulted by the airline before the announcement to suspend flights to Bahrain was made, and thousands of residents living and working in Bahrain, as well as expats from the United Kingdom, have prepared a petition demanding this. reversal of the decision.

British Airways said in a statement on the subject on 20 November 2024: “As a result of discussions with our partners and stakeholders, we can confirm that we will operate three flights per week between London Heathrow and Bahrain International Airport from the beginning of the 2025 summer season. This will lead to daily service from the start of the Winter 2025 season.” will come out.”

Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah, Chairman of Bahrain Airport Company, which operates the country’s only international airport, said: “We are pleased to see British Airways continuing its operations at Bahrain International Airport.” “As the oldest airline operating in Bahrain for over 92 years, our enduring partnership with British Airways is a testament to our shared commitment to excellence.”

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Bahrain is an important ally of Britain in terms of trade and commerce as well as defense; It is a long-standing customer of UK-manufactured military hardware and also hosts an active Royal Navy base, seen as a vital part of Britain. As tensions in the Middle East continue to rise, the West’s foothold in the region.

Rolls-Royce’s problems

In October 2024, the airline blamed engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce for the glitch, saying the company “makes it aware of the impact issues with the Trent 1000 engines are having on our schedules and customers and is seeking assurances that action will be taken quickly and safely.” reliable solution.” Although the carrier’s Chief Operating Officer Rene de Groot initially told employees that cancellations due to the Rolls-Royce issue were expected to last only a few days, it has since become clear that the problem is much deeper than first thought and flights have been affected. through 2025.

Other operators of Trent 1000-powered aircraft, such as Virgin Atlantic, were also affected by the same issue. The carrier recently announced that flights to Tel Aviv in Israel and Accra in Ghana have been postponed until the end of 2025 due to disruptions in their supply chains. Source of spare parts for engines.