(Bloomberg) -- British Airways Plc dropped plans to ax its longstanding route to Bahrain amid a public backlash, as the carrier alters its network to accommodate engine issues on its Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
The British flag carrier will run flights between London Heathrow and Bahrain International Airport three times a week next summer, increasing to a daily service in winter next year, a British Airways spokesman said. The reversal came after discussions with partners and stakeholders, the spokesman said.
The route to Bahrain has been operational for more than 90 years, and the decision to end service on the route sparked a backlash from passengers as well as politicians in both countries. The first commercial flight of the now-retired Concorde jet was from Heathrow to Bahrain in 1976 while the UK’s Royal Navy also has a support facility there.
Imperial Airways, which was a predecessor to BA, began services that stopped in Bahrain en route to India in 1932 at the time when the kingdom was a British protectorate. Bahrain later became an important stop on services to Hong Kong and Australia.
British Airways has been forced to pare back its network and schedule because of a shortage of spare parts for the Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc Trent 1000 engines fitted on its Dreamliners. This month, the carrier owned by IAG SA said it would suspend long-haul services to Kuwait, Bahrain and Dallas and reduce frequencies to Miami next summer as it didn’t expect to have sufficient aircraft to operate the flights.
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