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British Airways ‘set to suspend Bahrain flights from March-end’
British Airways (BA) will indefinitely axe all flights to Bahrain from early next year because of continuing problems with Rolls-Royce engines that power the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet, according to aviation insiders.
By the end of March 2025 BA plans to suspend all direct flights to the kingdom – a destination that it has served for nearly 92 years, according to leading aviation writer Mateusz Maszczynski.
BA flights to Kuwait will also be axed, he added.
British Airways was contacted last night. Although not addressing the Bahrain issue directly, a BA spokesman responded with a statement.
“We’re disappointed that we’ve had to make further changes to our schedule as we continue to experience delays to the delivery of engines and parts from Rolls-Royce – particularly concerning the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines fitted to our 787 aircraft,” he added.
“We’ve taken this action because we do not believe the issue will be solved quickly, and we want to offer our customers the certainty they deserve for their travel plans.
“We’ve apologised to those affected and are able to offer the vast majority a flight the same day with British Airways or one of our partner airlines.
“We continue to work closely with Rolls-Royce to ensure the company is aware of the impact its issues are having on our schedule and customers, and seek reassurance of a prompt and reliable solution.”
The Labour Ministry yesterday asserted its keenness to promote job stability for citizens and preserve the rights of all workers.
It issued a statement following reports of an international airline axing all flights to Bahrain from early next year.
The ministry said it was ‘closely following up the situation of employees at the company’s office’ in Bahrain.
“The aviation sector in Bahrain is promising and continuously developing by offering quality job opportunities, most notably with the extension of Bahrain International Airport and upgrading logistic services and allied ones,” the ministry added.
The latest route cuts come on top of recent announcements from the beleaguered carrier that it will no longer serve US Dallas Fort Worth from the summer of 2025 and will slash the number of flights it operates to Miami. The airline has already axed non-stop flights from Heathrow to Beijing and halved the number of flights it operates to Hong Kong.
Following a review, the airline has decided that Bahrain and Kuwait ‘aren’t commercially viable’ and cabin crew who have been based in the region for decades will now have the prospect of being made redundant, Maszczynski reported online.
British Airways’ decision, if true, would likely prove positive news to national carrier Gulf Air which operates busy direct daily flights to and from the UK.
One leading leisure industry executive said the alleged BA move was disappointing as the kingdom’s hotel sector was expanding and Formula One and other attractions were drawing in many tourists from Europe and further afield. KLM also recently stopped flights to Kuwait and Bahrain.
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