British Airways Announces New 18-Hour Ultra-Long Route: See All Flights Now

Published Sep 21, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT Prachi is a London-based journalist with extensive experience in the aviation industry. She has worked for several leading industry publications, covering a broad range of topics. Her expertise lies in aircraft maintenance, emerging technologies, and advanced air mobility. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Journalism, focusing on data journalism and its potential to transform conventional aviation reporting. British Airways has announced major changes to its long-haul network for 2027, including the return of flights to Melbourne via Kuala Lumpur from January and a new triangular route linking London Gatwick with Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar from May. The airline is also increasing frequencies on several existing routes, including services to Las Vegas, Baltimore, Houston, New Orleans, Cape Town, Tokyo Haneda, and Punta Cana. Alongside these changes, the oneworld alliance member is adjusting its Latin American network. British Airways Changes Santiago Service To One-Stop Operation Credit: Airlinephoto | Shutterstock One of the major changes British Airways is making is to its service to Santiago, Chile, its longest nonstop route. The airline currently operates the London Heathrow Airport (LHR)- Santiago de Compostela Airport (SCL) service in around 14 hours and 35 minutes, covering approximately 7,227 miles. From the start of the Northern Summer 2027 season, it will instead operate the route via Buenos Aires, Argentina, turning it into a one-stop service. The new routing will see British Airways operate the first leg between London Heathrow and Ezeiza International Airport (EZE), which will take around 11 hours and 35 minutes, and then have a one-hour and 50-minute stopover in the Argentine capital. The service will then continue to Santiago, making the total scheduled journey from London to Chile's capital 18 hours and five minutes. At the same time, the airline will increase the Santiago service to a daily operation, up from the current three to four weekly nonstop flights. Flight Route Schedule (Local time) BA245 London Heathrow – Buenos Aires – Santiago 7:25 PM – 5:25 AM+1 – 7:15 AM+1 – 8:30 AM+1 BA244 Santiago – Buenos Aires – London Heathrow 10:10 AM – 1:10 PM – 3:10 PM – 8:30 AM+1 British Airways Will Use Boeing 777-200ERs On The New Santiago Routing Credit: Ronen Fefer | Shutterstock Notably, the change will restore an older routing to the Santiago market. British Airways previously operated its service to Santiago via Buenos Aires using the Boeing 747-400, with the service continuing until 2000. The airline later restored the route in 2017, when it introduced a nonstop service using the 787-9 Dreamliner . For much of the period between those services, passengers traveling between London and Santiago connected through other hubs, including Madrid and São Paulo. From March 2027, British Airways will operate the route using its 272-seat 777-200ER. According to ch-aviation, the airline currently operates 46 Boeing 777-200ERs. The aircraft assigned to the Santiago service will feature the latest version of British Airways' Club World cabin, with 48 Club Suites in a 1-2-1 configuration based on the Collins Aerospace Elevation platform. The Club Suites feature sliding privacy doors, seats that are 21 inches wide, and a fully flat bed measuring 79 inches. The cabin will also include 40 Recaro PL3510 World Traveller Plus seats in a 2-4-2 layout and 184 Recaro CL3710 World Traveller seats arranged 3-4-3. British Airways Increases Latin American Capacity By 25% For Summer 2027 Credit: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock British Airways is making several changes to its Latin American network for Summer 2027. Overall, the airline is increasing its capacity across the region by 25% compared with Summer 2026. Indeed, the recent changes will benefit Buenos Aires, in terms of the direct capacity. It will also benefit Rio de Janeiro. British Airways currently operates its Buenos Aires service via Rio de Janeiro/Galeão–Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport (GIG). But since the route is becoming nonstop from London Heathrow for Summer 2027, it will allow the carrier to offer more direct capacity to and from Rio de Janeiro. Besides, the airline is making the London Heathrow-San José, Costa Rica, route a year-round service. It will operate three times a week on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The service previously operated only in winter. Elsewhere, British Airways will continue its London Gatwick-Barbados service through Summer 2027 after launching it this October. The service will also retain onward tags to Grenada, Guyana, and Tobago, while the airline's direct London Gatwick-St. Lucia service will operate four times per week during the summer. British Airways is also adding two destinations in Tanzania to its network, with services to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar scheduled to launch in May 2027.