Warning travellers they don’t expect the issue will be resolved quickly, British Airways have been left with no alternative but to cancel hundreds of transatlantic flights
British Airways have announced the cancellation of all flights between Gatwick Airport and New York until at least 2025, with thousands of travellers impacted.
The problem has reportedly stemmed from a delay in the delivery of Trent 1000 engines from Rolls-Royce, which supplies much of the aeronautic equipment for the company’s aircraft. At least 103 flights were canceled between December 12, 2024, and March 25, 2025, the firm revealed.
While flights between the Big Apple and Gatwick are cancelled, BA is still operating between NYC and Heathrow Airport. The Trent 1000 engines that have been the subject of delays were reportedly designed to power Boeing’s 737 Dreamliner aircraft, and they also increase the efficiency of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft by around 20%, according to reports.
A British Airways statement read: “We’re disappointed that we’ve had to make further changes to our schedule as we continue to experience delays to the delivery of engines and parts from Rolls-Royce – particularly in relation to the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines fitted to our 787 aircraft.
“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,” the firm’s spokesperson told MailOnline.
According to data from British Airways, the company operated 24 Boeing 7687s back in 2007 using the Trent engines, but with the delay in deliveries, the airline’s fleet is reportedly reduced by 15%, which is contributing to the cancellations.
The cancellations also come over the holiday period, meaning they could impact upwards of 1,000 customers or more. The delay also reportedly forced British Airways to push back plans to relaunch its route between Heathrow and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, which was supposed to restart on Nov. 12. Now, it’s not likely to return until April 2025.
Rolls Royce added: “We continue to work with British Airways and all of our customers to minimise the impact of the limited availability of spares due to the current supply chain constraints. Unfortunately, this is an issue affecting the whole aerospace industry.”
