British Airways to axe hundreds of flights over shortage of planes

British Airways has said it plans to cancel hundreds of long-haul flights from its winter schedule as it suffers aircraft shortages caused by delays in receiving spare parts. The airline on Friday said it was delaying the launch of a new Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur route, and suspending one flight a day between London Gatwick and New York and between London Heathrow and Doha. The UK flag carrier, part of International Airlines Group, blamed the wave of cancellations on “delays to the delivery of engines and parts” from Rolls-Royce, the aero-engine maker. The problems were particularly related to the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines fitted to its long-haul Boeing 787 aircraft, it added. The disruption represents the latest problem for an airline that has struggled with its operational performance since the end of Covid-19 pandemic travel restrictions in 2022. Flight delays and cancellations to and from the airline’s London hub at Heathrow have doubled since the pandemic, a Financial Times analysis of data from the UK aviation regulator has shown. BA bosses accept that the airline must improve its reliability. But the carrier has also said it has little direct control over many of the problems that have combined to knock its operations.  These also include air traffic control delays, which have shot up since the pandemic. The latest supply chain problems have left about five of BA’s 40-strong fleet of 787s grounded, meaning it does not have enough aircraft to fly its published schedule. On top of delayed deliveries from Rolls-Royce, some engines have also needed to be replaced more quickly than expected.<br/>