British Airways to fly A380 on just four routes this winter

Dhaka: British Airways (BA) will operate its Airbus A380 on only four routes from London Heathrow this winter, down from seven last year, as the carrier retrofits and reconfigures its superjumbo fleet.

The Oneworld alliance member airline currently operates a total of 12 A380s. The retrofit cuts capacity from 469 seats to 421, adding more business class seats and reducing economy to make the aircraft more premium and higher-yielding.

Based on IATA slot seasons, the winter schedule in the Northern Hemisphere begins on October 25 and runs through March 27, 2027. The A380 will continue to serve Miami, Johannesburg, San Francisco, and Singapore during this period.

Miami has seen the type for 11 years, since the first departure in October 2015, and BA remains the only double-decker operator in Florida. The airline will double its A380 frequency on the route compared to last winter.

BA will fly the A380 daily to Johannesburg, San Francisco, and Singapore. The frequency to Johannesburg has been halved, with the second daily service now operated by the Boeing 777-300ER and 787-9.

The A380 returned to Singapore on September 6, after BA suspended it there in May 2025. With Singapore Airlines and Qantas also flying the type, London-Singapore again has more A380 operators than any other airport pair worldwide.

The airline will not deploy the A380 to Dubai, Los Angeles, and Washington Dulles. Los Angeles is due to see the type again on March 28, 2027, while no A380 flights to Dulles are scheduled.

The Dubai cut is likely influenced by the ongoing war in Iran, in addition to the retrofit. BA's overall Dubai frequency across all aircraft types is just daily this winter, down from the usual three daily flights. The airline has also suspended flights to Abu Dhabi.