British Airways announces return to Melbourne as part of major winter 2026 expansion

• British Airways announces the return of Melbourne in Australia to its long-haul network
• The daily service connecting Melbourne and London Heathrow via Kuala Lumpur launches on 11 January 2027, with return fares starting from AUS $1,960
• The airline is also adding Colombo in Sri Lanka to its route map and increasing frequencies on key Asia Pacific and South Asia routes, including Haneda, Tokyo (Japan) and Delhi (India)
• This forms part of the airline’s wider network expansion, expected to deliver a nine per cent increase this winter
• In response to the Middle East conflict, the airline also added additional flights to Bangkok and Singapore  

17 March 2026, Melbourne, Australia - British Airways announces a significant planned expansion to its network for winter 2026, including the launch of a new daily route to Melbourne (Australia) and increased frequencies to Tokyo, Delhi, Bangkok and Singapore.

The new service will operate from 11 January 2027, connecting Melbourne and London Heathrow via Kuala Lumpur, offering travellers improved connectivity and greater choice between the two nations.

Neil Chernoff, British Airways’ Chief Planning and Strategy Officer, said: “We’re delighted to announce sizeable growth to our flying schedule for winter 2026, including two notable new destinations, that I am 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.

‘Elsewhere, we know there is short-term demand as a result of the situation in the Middle East. To support customers with alternative routes from popular destinations we have already scheduled additional flights, and we will continue to monitor customer demand and add flights to our schedule if we’re able to do so.”

Improved Australia - UK connectivity

British Airways will begin flying from Melbourne on 11 January 2027, operating daily and year-round to London Heathrow. The service marks British Airways’ return to Melbourne since 2006, responding to renewed and growing demand between the two regions.

The route will operate on its Boeing 787 fleet, where customers have a choice of four cabins - World Traveller (economy), World Traveller Plus (premium economy), Club World (business class) and First, with return fares from AUS $1,960 on sale from 17 March.

The airline has a proud history of connecting Australia and the UK and celebrated its 90th anniversary last year. The new service will be the airline’s second route from Australia, complementing its existing Sydney to London service. The new connection further strengthens business, tourism and cultural ties between the two countries, aligning with rising demand and the airline’s broader Asia Pacific‑ growth.

Double daily service from Tokyo

British Airways will increase its Haneda (Tokyo) to London service to double daily from the end of March, continuing throughout the winter 2026 schedule.

The increase reflects the airline’s long-term commitment to Japan, supporting rising demand driven by strong business links and tourism. This month, the airline has seen a 58% increase in searches from Haneda to London*.  

Additional frequencies

The airline has added seven additional return flights from Bangkok and Singapore in the short-term to meet rising demand for these routes as a result of the situation in the Middle East. The airline has added more than 3,300 extra seats between 10 and 19 March for customers and continues to monitor its network closely to make adjustments based on where customers want to fly.

Together with its long-standing codeshare and joint business partnerships with Japan Airlines and China Southern Airlines, British Airways continues to provide customers across the region with more options and greater flexibility when travelling to the UK, Europe and beyond.

Long-haul network expansion

British Airways has also announced a three-times-weekly service to Colombo, the vibrant gateway to Sri Lanka, from 23 October 2026. The airline is also increasing capacity across several high-demand long-haul destinations, including Cape Town, St Lucia, Kingston and Costa Rica, further contributing to the growth of its long-haul network.

The winter 2026 schedule represents a nine per cent increase** in British Airways’ long-haul operations, underscoring the airline’s commitment to expanding customer choice and global connectivity.

                                                                                        ENDS 

*ba.com searches for the week of 2 March 2026 compared to the month before (2 Feburary 2026).

**Nine per cent increase based on the number of long-haul flights operated by British Airways from London in the Winter 2026 schedule, vs Winter 2025.  

Notes to Editors 

Melbourne, Australia

Frequency growth across British Airways’ global network

• A third daily flight from London Heathrow to Cape Town, South Africa, will start in December 
• London Heathrow to Haneda in Tokyo, Japan increases to double daily from the end of March, and continues throughout the winter schedule 
• A daily Barbados flight from London Gatwick will commence on 25 October, a new route that will complementing the existing London Heathrow service to the Caribbean island, and will have onward tags to Grenada, Guyana and Tobago 
• There is more dedicated capacity to St Lucia in the Caribbean, as daily flights become a standalone service from 25 October 
• San José in Costa Rica increases to five per week, and moves to London Heathrow 
• Kingston in Jamaica and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, both served from London Gatwick, will go up to four per week 
• To the US, New Orleans increases to four per week, Baltimore becomes daily and Houston moves to 12 per week 
• Delhi continues to be served three times a day, as the frequency growth introduced at the start of the summer season remains in place 
• London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi will return for its planned winter schedule, operating daily from 25 October