British Airways slashes summer schedule

More than 15 of British Airways' long-haul routes have been scrapped.

In a sweeping restructuring of its international flight schedule, British Airways has announced it will be scrapping more than 15 of its long-haul destinations next year. Its Australian routes will be put on hold until the end of 2021.

The airline says due to the effects of the pandemic on the airline industry, its London to Sydney flights will be suspended until at least October next year.

The carrier has also re-evaluated its Asia-bound flights, with services between London and Bangkok also halted until next autumn. However, the Singapore to London route will remain open.

Flight routes to Osaka in Japan, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Seoul in South Korea will be scrapped entirely.

Further destinations that will be dropped include Abu Dhabi, Duran, Calgary, Charleston, Muscat and Pittsburgh.

Flights to the popular holiday destination of the Seychelles will also be dropped.

According to British Airways, all cancelled flights will be entitled to a full refund.

As with all airlines, British Airways has been hit hard by the pandemic, with losses for the first half of this year totalling almost GBP4 billion. Around 10,000 staff were made redundant in the summer. British Airways has previously predicted that it does not expect to see international travel return to pre-pandemic levels until 2023.