BA Flies Back to Tanzania
From 29 May 2027, BA flies three times a week from Gatwick to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar. Safari-and-beach itineraries no longer need a Gulf or European connection.
British Airways is going back to Tanzania, and it will land at the right end of the country for safari sellers. From 29 May 2027, BA will fly from London Gatwick to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar three times a week until 31 October 2027. That covers the northern-circuit dry season and the Great Migration’s Mara River crossings. For UK luxury advisors, it is the first direct UK link into Arusha’s gateway in years, and it ties together the classic safari-and-beach combination on one ticket.
The schedule
BA announced the route on 18 September. It flies a triangle: Gatwick to Kilimanjaro on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, departing 09:05 and arriving 20:20. The aircraft continues to Zanzibar at 21:20, arriving 22:25, and returns Zanzibar to Gatwick overnight at 00:25 on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, landing at 07:55, according to schedules reported by Aviation A2Z and Traveling for Miles. Return fares start at £849 including taxes with hand baggage, Selling Travel reported.
Traveling for Miles reported that the aircraft is a Boeing 777-200ER with 32 Club World, 48 World Traveller Plus and 252 World Traveller seats. It notes that BA’s Gatwick 777s do not have the newer Club Suite. Premium clients will notice, so set expectations.
“Tanzania is a destination that has it all, from world famous safaris and Mount Kilimanjaro to the stunning beaches of Zanzibar,” said Neil Chernoff, BA’s chief planning and strategy officer.
Why the routing matters
Kilimanjaro International is the gateway to the northern circuit: the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Lake Manyara, plus Kilimanjaro climbs. Zanzibar gives the beach finish and Stone Town. Itineraries that run north to south fit the aircraft’s own routing: fly in to Kilimanjaro, take a short domestic or charter hop to Zanzibar after safari, then fly home on the overnight return. The late-evening Kilimanjaro arrival means clients need a night near Arusha before heading into the parks.
Virginia Messina, group CEO of the African Travel and Tourism Association, said “greater connectivity provides more choice for their customers and creates exciting opportunities to develop new itineraries across Tanzania and neighbouring Kenya.”
The wider network play
Tanzania is part of a bigger long-haul leisure push for 2027. BA is adding 25% more capacity to Latin America from March 2027, including non-stop Buenos Aires with Santiago connections, more Rio de Janeiro seats and year-round Costa Rica, and is increasing Cape Town from seven to ten weekly flights, according to Selling Travel and Aviation A2Z.
For advisors
- Who to pitch: Avios-rich and BA-loyal clients who have resisted connecting through the Gulf, Nairobi or Amsterdam, and multi-generational families who value one ticket for safari and beach.
- When to book: now, for June to October 2027. Northern-circuit camps for Migration season sell out more than a year ahead, and a new route with three weekly flights has limited Club World seats.
- What to build: Kilimanjaro arrival, one night in Arusha, northern-circuit safari, a flight to Zanzibar, then home on the Zanzibar overnight. Align the safari length with the Monday, Thursday and Saturday pattern.
- Watch: whether BA extends the route beyond October 2027 into the January-to-February calving season, and how Club World fares settle once the schedule loads into GDS.
Sources
Jeff Cameron is a chief operating officer who writes about the business of travel: operations, pricing, loyalty and the decisions behind the trips, seen through an executive lens.