British Airways is forced to suspend New York flights from major London airport

British Airways is being forced to suspend hundreds of flights to New York from a major UK airport over the course of three months. 

The airline confirmed the cancellations from London Gatwick due to delays in the delivery of engines and other parts from Rolls-Royce.

The route is being suspended from December 12 to March 25, potentially causing chaos for Brits hoping to visit the Big Apple over Christmas. 

Hundreds of passengers with flights already booked will have to arrange alternative routes. The costs of heading to the Big Apple now may become significantly higher as there are fewer seats available.

BA launched the service from Gatwick to New York in 2015, making it the third London airport to do so, after Heathrow and London City.

A British Airways spokesperson said: “We’ve taken this action because we do not believe the issue will be solved quickly, and we want to offer our customers the certainty they deserve.

“We’ve apologised to those affected and are able to offer the vast majority a flight the same day with British Airways or one of our partner airlines.

“We continue to work closely with Rolls-Royce to ensure the company is aware of the impact its issues are having on our schedule and customers, and seek reassurance of a prompt and reliable solution.”

Those who still want to fly with BA will have to book flights from Heathrow instead, and those wanting to fly out from Gatwick can opt for a Norse Airways flight.

The cheapest flights with Norse Airways from Gatwick to New York will set you back just £265.

Other flights are being affected by the delays in delivery, including those from London to Kuala Lumpur, which have been suspended from from November until next April.

All routes from Southampton Airport have been suspended for summer 2025, and the route from Heathrow to Beijing has been paused until at least next November.

All of the airline’s cancellations are said to have affected an estimated 200,000 passengers.