Malaysians Can Soon Take Daily British Airways Flight Between KLIA & London Heathrow
The UK airline had suspended the route in 2020.
By Sadho Ram — 06 Mar 2024, 10:53 AM
British Airways, which had stopped its services to and from Kuala Lumpur in 2020 during the pandemic, is finally returning with daily flights between Malaysia and the UK from 10 November this year
The flag carrier airline of the UK will be providing more direct and daily flights, using its 215-seat, Boeing 787-9, between KLIA and London Heathrow, after over four years of suspending the route.
According to the New Straits Times, Sean Doyle, the airline's chairperson and chief executive officer (CEO), said that the resumption of Kuala Lumpur flights is part of the airline's 7 billion-pound (approximately RM42 billion) modernisation plan to offer better services and fleet across 15 Asia-Pacific destinations.
Apart from Kuala Lumpur, the airline will also resume its operations in Bangkok. However, instead of London Heathrow, the Bangkok route will connect to London Gatwick on a thrice-weekly service.
Currently, Kuala Lumpur has very few direct flights to Europe, with only Malaysia Airlines offering direct flights to London Heathrow
The move has been welcomed by the British High Commissioner to Malaysia, Ailsa Terry, who said the resumption of British Airways direct flights between London and Kuala Lumpur reflects the growing linkages between the UK and Malaysia.
"This includes approximately 6 billion pounds (approximately RM36 billion) in our bilateral trade and the immense growth potential [...] The direct flights will also improve the connectivity much welcomed by students, professionals, and holidaymakers travelling between our nations. I would like to thank the Government of Malaysia, British Airways, and everyone involved in making this possible," she said.
According to aviation schedule analyst Sean Moulton, the move "appears to be a change of strategy, moving away from the core British Airways market connecting Europe and India with the US and Canada".
"Kuala Lumpur has very few direct links to Europe, so British Airlines will be able to tap into unserved connections," he was quoted as saying by the UK-based online newspaper, The Independent.
The airline has always had a patchy relationship with Kuala Lumpur. Before suspending the route from its network in 2020, which it has served since 2015, the airline last flew to Malaysia's capital in 2001.
Meanwhile, the Boeing 787-9 will have four-class configured with eight First Class seats, 42 Club Class seats, 39 World Traveller Plus seats, and 127 World Traveller seats.
How much do the flight tickets cost?
The return fares start from:
- 620 pounds (RM3,730) in economy (World Traveller seats)
- 1,388 pounds (RM8,350) in premium economy (World Traveller Plus seats)
- 3,200 pounds (RM19,252) in business (Club Class seats), and
- 4,000 pounds (RM24,062) in first class (First Class seats)
Note: The value in ringgit has been calculated based on the exchange rate at the time of writing.
