British Airways welcomes summer schedule, including the addition of Kuala Lumpur and Tbilisi to its route map

• British Airways touched down in two new destinations this week, including the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, after a 12-year hiatus and in Kuala Lumpur for the first time in five years 
• Both routes will operate from London Heathrow this summer and have been carefully timed so customers can take advantage of onward connections across the two continents and further afield
• The flag carrier will operate daily flights to the Malaysian capital with return fares starting from £574, and flights to Tbilisi will operate four times per week this summer, starting from £244 return
• Elsewhere, the airline is also increasing its daily flights to Tokyo to twice a day and launching three new Italian routes next month

3 April 2025: British Airways has launched its Kuala Lumpur and Tbilisi routes this week, marking a significant milestone in reconnecting the UK with both regions and expanding its network for customers across both sides of the globe.

The Malaysian capital returns

The flag carrier touched down in the Garden City of Lights this week for the first time in five years. The aircraft departed London Heathrow at 21:10 local time on April 1, landing at Kuala Lumpur International Airport the following day at 17:20 local time. Customers on the first flight were greeted on arrival with goodie bags and special gifts.

British Airways will operate daily from London Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur, served by the airline’s Boeing 787-900 fleet. Customers have a choice of four cabins – World Traveller (economy), World Traveller Plus (premium economy), Club World (business class) and First (first class) – with return fares from £574.

The airline also recently expanded its codeshare partnership with Malaysia Airlines, giving customers more travel options and seamless onward connections to more than 17 routes from Kuala Lumpur. This includes travel to key destinations available to book as part of a single ticket, such as Australia, New Zealand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam*. 

This flight resumption underpins British Airways’ continued investment in Asia Pacific, expanding travel options between the UK and Malaysia while strengthening business, tourism and cultural ties. The airline also recently resumed flights from London Gatwick to Bangkok as well as broadened its codeshare agreement with Bangkok Airways, enabling seamless connections from Bangkok to the six popular holiday destinations of Koh Samui, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

Touch down in Tbilisi

British Airways has also welcomed Tbilisi back into its route network, after its last scheduled service in 2013. The service to the Georgian capital departed London Heathrow at 21:25 local time on 30 March, landing at Tbilisi International Airport the next day at 05:30 local time. 

Located at the crossroads where Europe meets Asia, Georgia is known for its rich history, vibrant culture, traditional cuisine and picturesque scenery. The country proudly lays claim to being the birthplace of wine, with an 8,000-year-old history of winemaking that remains an important part of its culture today.

As part of its short-haul network, customers travelling to Tbilisi have the choice of two cabins – Club Europe (business class) and Euro Traveller (economy) – with return fares starting from £244. Euro Traveller customers enjoy a complimentary drink and snack, while Club Europe customers have lounge access, a full meal service, priority boarding and additional baggage allowance included in their ticket.

British Airways’ Chief Planning and Strategy Officer, Neil Chernoff, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Malaysia and Georgia back to our network, both of which are two key destinations that our customers know and love.

“Our teams have worked hard to bring these routes firmly back on our route map, meaning customers have more choice when it comes to travel for work or pleasure across Europe, Asia and beyond. From the birthplace of wine to one of the most connected cities in Asia, we hope our customers take advantage of exploring somewhere new and we look forward to welcoming them on board.”

Elsewhere across its network

British Airways is increasing its London Heathrow (LHR) to Tokyo Haneda (HND) service to twice daily from 30 March 2025**, marking a significant boost in capacity and connectivity between the UK and Japan ahead of the summer season.

British Airways will now operate 14 flights a week to Tokyo, including flights operated by the airline’s A350 fleet once a day. This fuel-efficient aircraft features a three-class cabin including World Traveller (economy), World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and Club World (business class). The aircraft also features British Airways’ Club Suite, which is the airline’s latest business class seat, offering an elevated experience designed for comfort and privacy at 35,000ft.

Next month, the airline is adding three new Italian routes to its network, including Rimini on the Adriatic Coast from London Heathrow launching on 15 May, and Salerno on the Amalfi Coast from London Gatwick on 22 May. A new service from London City to Olbia launches on 25 May that will complement existing flights from Heathrow. The new routes will bring the total number of Italian destinations served by the flag carrier to 19, more than any other European country on the airline’s network.

The airline has also increased flights to Riyadh, boosting travel and trade connections between the UK and Saudi Arabia. Customers will now be able to take advantage of nearly double the number of flights with more than 80,000 additional seats versus last year. The new flight additions will operate nearly every day of the week (excluding Tuesdays), strategically timed to offer customers more flexibility for onward connections within British Airways’ extensive global network from London Heathrow to more than 200 destinations.

ENDS

*Key destinations for the codeshare include – Australia (Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth) New Zealand (Aukland), Cambodia (Phnom Penh), Indonesia (Jakarta, Denpasar – Bali), Malaysia (Alor Setar, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Kuantan, Langkawi, Penang), Thailand (Bangkok), and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh).

** The flight departs London Heathrow on 30 March 2025, and from Tokyo Haneda on 31 March 2025.

Notes to Editors

• Both flight frequencies and timings can be viewed below:

Credit: worldairlinenews.com