Yemisi Izuora
British Airways is expanding its African network by starting three weekly flights directly from London Heathrow to Durban, South Africa.
The service will be the only non-stop link between Europe and Durban and will be operated by the airline’s newest aircraft, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
Durban is the second new African route British Airways will start this year. In March it began flying twice weekly to Seychelles from Heathrow. It also expanded its three Gatwick/ Mauritius services to five a week.
Elsewhere in Africa, it has added more seats to Lagos and is introducing new onboard products and services on African routes including its daily services to Accra in Ghana.
This is part of a £4.5 billion, five-year customer investment plan, with a focus on excellence in the premium cabins and more choice and quality for all its customers.
On a number of African routes it has already introduced new bedding and amenity kits in the Club World Cabin by luxury lifestyle brand, the White Company. The investment will also see a new Club World seat in future.
At Heathrow it has opened a First Wing check-in area with direct security and lounge access. Lounges around the world are being revamped, including Johannesburg and Nairobi.
In World Traveller new expanded menus have been introduced, providing more quantity and quality in the long-haul economy cabin, as well as snack options throughout the flight.
New World Traveller and World Traveller Plus cabins are being rolled out in the Boeing 777 fleet operating out of Gatwick. These aircraft operate three additional flights to Cape Town during the South African summer.
The investment plan will also see British Airways installing the best-quality WiFi in every seat, upgrading the interiors of 128 long-haul aircraft and taking delivery of 72 new aircraft.