Many travellers making short-haul British Airways flights to top European destinations will have to find an alternative place to fly from, after the firm struck a major blow to Southampton Airport
People taking short trips to Europe from the south of England are set to travel further to catch their flights from next year, after British Airways announced they would no longer be flying routes from Southampton Airport – with aviation industry experts warning this will have a “significant impact” on the future of the major regional air travel hub.
The loss of 11 key routes for people taking city breaks to popular destinations like Malaga and Dublin from summer 2025. British Airways declined to give a reason for withdrawing their routes, just four months after introducing two new options for travellers, with flights to Bergerac in Italy and Palma in Spain which have also been axed.
This has raised concerns within the aviation industry about the future of the regional airport, which saw a major decline during the pandemic to around a quarter of a million passengers, but last year recorded over 750,000 people using the hub for their foreign travel – still well below the airport’s annual, pre-pandemic, two million passengers.
The loss of industry leader BA is the latest in a series of woes experienced by the travel hub, with Southampton Airport also suffering a major blow in 2021, when the collapse of FlyBe saw a whole range of routes fall off their departures and arrivals boards.
There are hopes that other airliners will be able to take over some of these routes, including EasyJet. However, neighbouring Bournemouth Airport, just 30 miles away, offers stiff competition on budget travel with more RyanAir and Jet2 routes than previously.
Experts at Aviation Direct warned that the loss of these routes could prove difficult for the airport, saying: “The question remains whether EasyJet or other airlines will take over the routes cancelled by British Airways.
“The airline had expanded its route network in recent years, which was beneficial for Southampton passengers, but British Airways’ cancellations could leave a gap that will be difficult to fill.”
A spokesperson from Southampton Airport said: “Clearly it’s disappointing when any route is removed.
“However, we are in constant dialogue with airlines regarding the introduction of new services and that includes backfilling the routes withdrawn by British Airways.”
