Heathrow Adds Six Routes and Two Airlines This Winter
BA's San José flights start on Sunday, Fuerteventura and a Red Sea newcomer follow in December, and Melbourne arrives in January. Here's what's new from Heathrow this winter.
Clients who want long-haul winter sun without connecting through a European or Gulf hub have more choice from Heathrow this season. The first of the new routes for UK leisure travellers, British Airways to San José, Costa Rica, starts this Sunday 25 October.
Heathrow published its winter 2026-27 newcomers on Monday 19 October: six new routes and two airlines new to the airport. Two of the six are already flying.
The six routes
| Destination | Airline | Frequency | Starts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xiamen, China | Xiamen Airlines | 3 a week | 6 Sep 2026 (flying) |
| Phuket, Thailand | Virgin Atlantic | 3 a week | 18 Oct 2026 (flying) |
| San José, Costa Rica | British Airways | 5 a week | 25 Oct 2026 |
| Fuerteventura, Canary Islands | British Airways | 2 a week | 13 Dec 2026 |
| The Red Sea, Saudi Arabia | beOnd | 3 a week | 15 Dec 2026 |
| Melbourne, Australia (via Kuala Lumpur) | British Airways | Daily | 9 Jan 2027 |
Source: Heathrow. Frequencies as published by the airport.
What’s worth a closer look
- Costa Rica, five times a week. British Airways’ nonstop to San José gives Heathrow-based clients a nonstop option for Central America this winter, a good fit for nature, wildlife and honeymoon itineraries.
- Fuerteventura from Heathrow. A twice-weekly Heathrow service from 13 December gives clients living west of London, or flying in on BA from elsewhere, a winter-sun option without crossing to another airport.
- beOnd to the Red Sea. beOnd is one of the two airlines new to Heathrow (the other is Xiamen Airlines). It flies to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea destination three times a week from 15 December, and Heathrow says its network offers onward connections to the Maldives.
- Melbourne returns. According to Melbourne Airport, BA33 leaves Heathrow daily at 21:10 from 9 January and reaches Melbourne at 06:40 two days later, after a stop in Kuala Lumpur. The return, BA34, starts on 11 January. It’s a Boeing 787-9 with four cabins, including First.
Ross Baker, Heathrow’s chief customer officer, said in the release that airlines’ demand shows “expansion is needed so we can continue adding new routes”. Heathrow says it serves 230 destinations in more than 80 countries.
Sources
Jeff Cameron writes about neighbourhoods and the business of travel for Not An Atlas, usually from a desk buried in maps, beside a mug of tea big enough to count as carry-on. His first trip was to St. Pete Beach, Florida, where dipping his feet in the Gulf felt like a major expedition, and he's still chasing that first shock of “the ocean can be warm?” He always takes the window seat (nobody climbs over him to get to the washroom), lands already briefed thanks to an audiobook or two about wherever he's going, and sizes up every city by its first cup of coffee. He'll happily walk 45,000 steps in a day to find the side streets where a place really lives. Kraków, Utrecht and Turin are the underrated favourites he'd go back to tomorrow. Friends say curious, candid and composed. His mom says contrary, and she's probably right. Next stop: anywhere a first-class, round-the-world ticket will take him.
