How much smaller is the British Airways long haul fleet post pandemic?
Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission. See here for all partner links.
The British Airways long haul fleet is smaller than it was before the pandemic – but how much smaller?
As our other article today explains, British Airways is rumoured to be leasing an A330neo from Air Belgium to fly to Chicago for five months. Given the squeeze on the fleet, it has few options.
Routes such as Bangkok, Seoul, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Kuala Lumpur and Durban will probably come back to the British Airways network in time. The retirement of over 30 Boeing 747 aircraft during covid is causing severe issues, however.
British Airways currently has 15 fewer long haul aircraft than it had in March 2020. Average utilisation per aircraft is unchanged at 13 hours per day, meaning that there is a direct correlation to miles flown by the long haul fleet.
Here is how the fleet looked in March 2020 (hat-tip to Rob Walker on LinkedIn):
- 5 x A350-1000
- 0 x Boeing 787-10 (not yet introduced)
- 18 x Boeing 787-9
- 12 x Boeing 787-8
- 12 x A380-800
- 12 x Boeing 777-300
- 45 x Boeing 777-200
- 32 x Boeing 747-400
…. for a total of 136 aircraft.
Here is how it looks now:
- 13 x A350-1000
- 7 x Boeing 787-10
- 18 x Boeing 787-9
- 12 x Boeing 787-8
- 12 x A380-800
- 16 x Boeing 777-300
- 43 x Boeing 777-200
- 0 x Boeing 747-400 (all retired)
…. for a total of 121 aircraft.
Is British Airways going to fill the 15 aircraft gap with new arrivals? Not for a while. There are 10 x A350 and Boeing 787 aircraft to be delivered over the next couple of years – the 14th A350 is imminent. There will then be a gap until at least 2026 until the first of the Boeing 777-9 fleet arrives.
We’re probably looking at 2027 until the long haul fleet is back at 136 aircraft. This means that we may be waiting for four years to see a long haul schedule as varied as the one we had in 2019.
(In case you’re wondering, the narrow body fleet for short haul is pretty much as it was pre pandemic at 143 aircraft. Finnair and Avion are both providing additional resources at the moment with leased aircraft.)
Don’t get your hopes up too high though. In general, the new aircraft being delivered are smaller than the Boeing 747 aircraft they are replacing and this situation will only get worse if the A380 fleet is retired early. Even if the missing British Airways routes come back over the next few years, there may be a squeeze on the number of seats available.
How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2024)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!
In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.
You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:
Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard
Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review
Barclaycard Avios Mastercard
Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review
There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review
British Airways American Express
5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review
You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is increased to 30,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 30,000 Avios. Click here to apply.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 14th January 2025, the sign-up bonus on The Platinum Card from American Express is increased to 80,000 Membership Rewards points. This converts into 80,000 Avios! The spend requirement is changed to £10,000 in six months for this offer. Click here to apply.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express
Huge 80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Run your own business?
We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.
Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) and NO FX fees Read our full review
Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review
There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:
British Airways American Express Accelerating Business
30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review
There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.
American Express Business Platinum
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.
Pedro 
Matarredonda 
Rui N. 
Bagoly 
Rhys 
will 
TGLoyalty 
Chris W 
jjoohhnn 
Charles Martel 
Mark 
Bernard 
Bernard 
Paul 
Aston100 
Jim Lovejoy 
Gordon 
PL 
BuildBackBetter 
Ant 
Johnnyll 
Comments (109)