British Airways has cancelled its flights between Gatwick Airport and New York between mid-December to mid-March next year.
The airline is halting more than 100 long-haul flights from London Gatwick to New York, blaming it on delays in the delivery of new engines, and warning of no quick fix.
The suspension of the popular route will start on December 12 and will last until March 25, 2025, impacting at least 103 flights.
A spokesperson for British Airways said: “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.
“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.
“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.”
BA stressed that the airline is in close communication with Rolls-Royce to ensure awareness of the impact these delays are having on operations and to seek prompt solutions.
A Rolls-Royce spokesperson said: “We continue to work with British Airways and all of our customers to minimise the impact of the limited availability of spares due to the current supply chain constraints. Unfortunately, this is an issue affecting the whole aerospace industry.”
The Trent 1000 engines are specifically designed for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, providing a 20 percent increase in efficiency compared to previous models.
British Airways began its service from London Gatwick to New York in 2015, being the third airline to establish this route after London Heathrow and London City.
Due to these disruptions, British holidaymakers planning trips to New York this winter will need to explore alternative options, such as flying with BA from London Heathrow, where the airline’s services to the Big Apple remain unaffected, or with a different company.
Additionally, the airline has postponed the relaunch of its route from London Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur, which was originally scheduled for November 12. This route is now expected to resume in April 2025.