British Airways scraps plan to drop flights to Bahrain in apparent U-turn

In an apparent U-turn from a previous decision announced in early November 2024, British Airways has decided that flights between London and Bahrain will continue throughout 2025 after all. The route, along with services to Kuwait City, had been earmarked for suspension after March 2025 because of continuing problems with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines that power the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet.

The announcement to suspend flights between London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) and Bahrain International Airport (BAH) came as the carrier struggles with aircraft availability as the maintenance issues with its Rolls-Royce engines intensify. Along with Bahrain and Kuwait, other routes that have seen cuts due to the same issue are Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Miami (MIA), and London-Gatwick (LGW) to New York-JFK (JFK).  Meanwhile, services to Hong Kong have been cut back and those to Beijing have been axed for economic reasons.

The decision to axe services to Bahrain came as a shock to many as the carrier has served the Kingdon of Bahrain for a staggering 92 years. Imperial Airways, a predecessor to British Airways, first launched flights to Bahrain in October 1932, when the Kingdom became the carrier’s first service to the Middle East region. The country has also long since been a major international ally of the United Kingdom for decades, both from a diplomatic standpoint as well as a key partner for international trade. Bahrain was a British protectorate for more than 100 years before it gained independence in 1971. 

Kuwait (KWI), whose suspension of flights seems set to continue, has featured on the airline’s route network for 63 years, although the airline states that the decision to suspend flights to Kuwait will be kept “under review”. Kuwait became a British protectorate in 1899 and achieved independence in 1961.

GCmap.comBritish Airways had also argued that its direct flights to Bahrain and Kuwait were no longer commercially viable, leaving staff employed by the carrier at both outstations at risk of losing their jobs. However, according to sources, senior UK Government officials criticized the decision to cut the Bahrain route, stating that the move “would send the wrong message about Britain’s diplomatic intentions while also harming UK business interests in the region.”

Additionally, Bahraini officials were reported to have been angered that they had not been consulted by the airline before the announcement to suspend flights to Bahrain was made, while thousands of residents and UK ex-pats living and working in Bahrain drew up a petition demanding that the decision be reversed.

In a statement on the matter issued on November 20, 2024, British Airways said, “Following discussions with our partners and stakeholders, we can confirm we will operate a service between London Heathrow and Bahrain International Airport three times a week from the start of the Summer 2025 season. This will increase to a daily service from the start of the Winter 2025 season.”

“We are delighted to witness British Airways continue operations at Bahrain International Airport,” said Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah, Head of the Bahrain Airport Company which runs the country’s only international airport. “As the oldest airline operating out of Bahrain for over 92 years, the enduring partnership with British Airways is a testament to our shared commitment to excellence.”

Markus Mainka / Shutterstock Alongside trade and commerce, Bahrain is also a key ally of Britain from a defense standpoint, being a long-serving customer of UK-produced military hardware, as well as a host to an active Royal Navy base, seen as a vital part of the Western foothold in the region as tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East.

Rolls-Royce woes

In October 2024, the airline blamed engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce for the disruption, saying that it had made the company “aware of the impact its issues with its Trent 1000 engines are having on our schedule and customers, and seek reassurance of a prompt and reliable solution.” While the carrier’s Chief Operations Officer, Rene de Groot, initially told employees that cancellations due to the Rolls-Royce issue were only expected to last several days, it has since become clear that the issue runs far deeper than first thought, with flights being affected throughout 2025.

Other operators of Trent 1000-powered aircraft such as Virgin Atlantic have also been affected by the same problem, The carrier recently announced the postponement of flights to Tel Aviv in Israel and Accra in Ghana until late 2025 as disrupted supply chains are making it harder to source spare parts for the engines.

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