British Airways moves Tampa flight from Gatwick to Heathrow

After 40 years of service connecting Tampa travelers to London, British Airways will soon move its nonstop Tampa International Airport (TPA) flight from London Gatwick Airport to London Heathrow Airport (LHR), increasing global connections for passengers.

The airline plans to make the change Oct. 25, connecting TPA to British Airways’ primary global hub for the first time in decades, the airport told the Business Observer.

“Tampa International Airport is excited about this change, as British Airways will be bringing a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a modern aircraft with state-of-the-art features,” said airport spokesman Josh Gillin in an email to the Business Observer. “This route will now also utilize British Airways’ global hub at London-Heathrow, which we project will provide travelers with connections to more than 43 international destinations.”

The change greatly increases the number of international connections available to Tampa travelers through British Airways. However, the airline also announced it will no longer offer daily, nonstop flights from TPA to London. Instead, British Airways will fly from TPA to the UK’s busiest airport five times per week, a decision driven by "demand factors," the airport says.

Under the new schedule, flights will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Flights from LHR to TPA will depart at 12:45 p.m. and arrive at 5:30 p.m. while flights from Tampa to LHR will leave at 7:55 p.m. and arrive at 9:15 a.m. the following day.

The 4,411-mile route has a scheduled flight time of about 9 hours and 45 minutes westbound and 8 hours and 20 minutes eastbound, according to British Airways. 

British Airways will also replace the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft currently used for the nonstop route with a newer Boeing 787-10 plane with smaller capacity, according to online news outlet Aviation A2Z. The airline will continue using its larger plane for daily flights to London Gatwick until Oct. 24, according to the announcement.

The new airplanes have a smaller capacity but offer a more premium cabin experience, according to British Airways’ website, including the airline’s newest business class suites. 

British Airways has flown from TPA since 1985, making it one of the airport’s longest-running transatlantic routes. Throughout most of that history, that flight path has ended at London Gatwick Airport, which services British Airways’ “leisure-focused flights,” according to its website.