British Airways will start a year-round direct daily service from Heathrow to Barbados on October 17.
Lisa Cummins, Barbados tourism minister, said: “For more than 15 years, Barbados has been engaging British Airways on the re-establishment of London Heathrow as the gateway to Barbados, following the retirement of its Concorde service.
“We are thrilled therefore to see this finally come to fruition as it opens the door for us, quite literally, for growth opportunities in cities and continents that were once out of our reach.”
The destination will benefit from domestic connections across the UK, including cities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle, as well as the key gateway of Manchester.
The service’s afternoon departure time will also offer connections to BA’s European network.
It also offers Barbados the opportunity to explore new markets such as Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia and the Far East.
Cummins said: “Post Covid-19 with British Airways seeing the contraction of various routes, the opportunity presented itself for this service and we were determined to secure it.
“Understanding the challenges currently faced by our industry, it is critical for us to be both smart and aggressive with our growth strategy, and this represents that.”
Coinciding with the busy half-term period in the autumn, the new service will use BA’s four-class Boeing 777-200 aircraft.
The year-round daily service will be in addition to the Gatwick service.
Barbados reported record arrivals from the U.K.with more than 234,000 arrivals out of an overall total of nearly 713,000.
More: British Airways unveils new Gatwick-Montego Bay service
Caribbean reports rise in consumer confidence after government’s ‘safe’ lists published
London flights set to resume as Barbados reopens borders
