British Airways Adds New Destination in South Africa

British Airways will begin nonstop service to Durban, South Africa starting this autumn.

The new 5,935-mile service begins on October 29, 2018 and will run three time per week and utilize a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The flight will operate on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday from London and return from Durban on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday.

British Airways 41
London (LHR) to Durban (DUR)
3:45p – 5:35a
Monday / Thursday / Saturday

British Airways 40
Durban (DUR) to London (LHR)
7:35a-5:45p
Tuesday / Friday / Sunday

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The UK Independent recalls that British Airways, then called Imperial Airways, flew a Boeing 314 Clipper (Flying Boat) from Southampton to Durban in 1937 through the end of World War II.

From 1981 through 1999, BA had a tag service from Johannesburg to Durban and its South African Comair subsidiary currently operates several daily flights between JNB and DUR.

Although not officially confirmed by BA, the new route is likely subsidized by the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) government. KZN, which includes Durban, is South Africa’s second largest province, with over 11 million citizens.

CONCLUSION

As the British Empire has waned, so has BA’s African route network. Flights from London to Harare, Lusaka, Lilongwe and Gaborone have been cut in recent years.

But the new service Durban will save hours of travel connecting in Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, or Dubai. BA’s new Durban service compliments its nonstop service to Johannesburg and Cape Town.

image: British Airways