Summary
- British Airways will resume flights from London Heathrow to Tel Aviv on April 1st, but with reduced frequency and smaller aircraft.
- The outbound flights will include a 45-minute stopover in Cyprus for a crew change, increasing operational flexibility in case the flight cannot land in Israel.
- The changes to the flights may also impact the carrier’s loyalty members, with a discount in tier points earned on the route.
British Airways has announced its plans to resume flights from its important hub at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International (TLV) in Israel. Nonetheless, the services will operate barely in a different way, with probably the most notable change being a stop in Cyprus en route.
A special return
As reported by The Independent, BA will restart flights between Heathrow and Tel Aviv on April 1st, after a six-month hiatus caused by the continued conflict within the region. Nonetheless, the resumed services on this route will operate just 4 times per week reasonably than twice every day, using short-haul Airbus A320s as a substitute of long-haul Boeing 787s like before. A BA spokesperson told Easy Flying that:
“We’ve taken the business decision to maneuver Tel Aviv to our short-haul network after we restart our flights on 01 April. This aligns these flights with other similar length flights we operate, and we’ll keep this decision under review.”
Photo: Mariusz Klarowicz | Shutterstock
These changes have likely come about on account of reduced demand for travel to Israel. Taking a look at data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, we are able to see that, in April 2023, BA’s twice-daily Boeing 787-9 flights offered 488 seats a day on the route, which extrapolates to a weekly capability of two,016 seats each way. Meanwhile, this April’s 4 A320 flights will offer a weekly capability of around 720 seats.
Find flights from Heathrow to Tel Aviv here.
A stopover in Cyprus
While the aircraft change and frequency reduction actually catch the attention, arguably probably the most notable alteration regarding BA’s soon-to-resume flights from Heathrow to Tel Aviv is that the outbound leg will include a Cypriot stopover. Specifically, the Tel Aviv-bound flights will stop at Larnaca Glafcos Clerides International Airport (LCA) for 45 minutes to enable a crew change.
The Independent notes that the brand new crew will then fly the A320 for the remaining 210 miles (338 km) from Larnaca to Tel Aviv, before operating the return flight to London Heathrow Airport non-stop. In line with British Airways, the stopover will run until May thirty first, 2024, remaining under review during this time.
![A British Airways Boeing 787-10 at sunset](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/britishairways_4a113c3ddf59c-4.jpg)
British Airways Executive Club: Big Changes You Need To Know About
The frequent flyer program is migrating all its members to a single Tier Point collection period from 2025.
Photo: British Airways
The flight’s passengers will reportedly stay on the aircraft during this stopover. The explanation that this has been implemented is to extend operational flexibility within the event that the fragile security situation prevents the flight from landing in Israel. It should enable the crew to have enough hours to fly back to London, reasonably than having to abort a non-stop attempt and make arrangements to land elsewhere.
The changes even have loyalty implications
In line with Head for Points, BA’s alterations to its flights from Heathrow to Tel Aviv may also impact its Executive Club frequent flyer program. Specifically, from March thirtieth, 2025, the switch to the oneworld carrier’s short-haul network can be reflected in a discount in tier points earned. For Club World (business class), this can drop from the present 140 by almost half to only 80 tier points.
What do you make of those changes? Have you ever ever flown with British Airways between London and Tel Aviv? Tell us your thoughts and experiences within the comments!