BA expands India flying

British Airways is adding India flights for summer 2026, with more departures and bigger planes on key London Heathrow routes. (britishairways.com) The airline said it will add a second daily Bengaluru-Heathrow service from June 1 to October 24, 2026, taking that route to 14 weekly flights. British Airways also said its India schedule will reach as many as 70 weekly flights at peak summer. (thehindu.com) Delhi is getting a third daily Heathrow flight in stages. British Airways said in October 2025 that a third daily Delhi service would start in 2026, subject to regulatory and capacity approval, and The Hindu reported that the extra Delhi flight is already running from April 7 to May 31, will return in peak summer, and will become a regular feature from late September. (britishairways.com) (thehindu.com) British Airways is also changing aircraft to add seats without opening new cities. The Hindu reported that Hyderabad will switch from a Boeing 787 to a larger Boeing 777 for the summer, adding 68 seats per flight, while Delhi will get the larger Airbus A350 from June 1, adding 59 seats per flight. (thehindu.com) Mumbai is getting more lift too. The Hindu reported that British Airways extended a third daily Heathrow-Mumbai service through June 19 after first planning to run it only from May 15 to May 31, while the carrier’s October 2025 statement said First class had already returned on Mumbai flights and Club Suite would appear on select flights across all five Indian routes by the end of 2026. (thehindu.com) (britishairways.com) The airline is concentrating that growth in five Indian cities it already serves: Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. British Airways said in October 2025 that it was operating 56 direct services a week from those five cities, so the summer 2026 peak implies a double-digit increase in weekly flying. (britishairways.com 1) (britishairways.com 2) British Airways linked the move to stronger India demand. The Hindu reported the carrier cited a 196% surge in travel searches and more than 7,000 extra seats a week from India, while British Airways said last year that trade with India and the new United Kingdom-India free trade agreement should support further network growth. (thehindu.com) (britishairways.com) The timing also reflects a wider network reshuffle. Travel Mole reported that British Airways is cutting some Middle East flying because of regional airspace instability even as it adds India capacity, and The Hindu said other long-haul carriers including Lufthansa, Air France, KLM and Air Canada are also adding India seats as West Asia schedules stay constrained. (travelmole.com) (thehindu.com) In airline planning, “summer 2026” is a formal schedule season that runs from March 29 to October 24, 2026. British Airways is using that window to push more India-Heathrow capacity into the market before its winter schedule begins on October 25. (faa.gov) (slotcoordination.es) For travelers, the result is simple: more nonstops to Heathrow from India’s biggest business and diaspora markets, and more seats on the routes British Airways already flies. (britishairways.com) (thehindu.com)