British Airways adds Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar flights
British Airways will launch new seasonal flights from London Gatwick to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar in Tanzania from May 2027, with Avios reward seats
British Airways has announced new seasonal flights to Tanzania for Summer 2027. The airline will serve Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar from London Gatwick starting on May 29, 2027, with operations continuing until October 31, 2027.
The route will operate three times per week on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. According to the announcement on Head for Points, the service will use a triangle routing. Flights will depart from Gatwick and land in Kilimanjaro before continuing to Zanzibar. The return leg flies directly from Zanzibar back to Gatwick, bypassing Kilimanjaro.
A single flight number will be used for all sectors. The schedule includes a one-hour layover in Kilimanjaro and a three-hour stop in Zanzibar.
Aircraft and cabin product
As a Gatwick-based long-haul route, the flights will feature British Airways' older Club World business class cabin. The airline confirmed that its Gatwick fleet is only scheduled to receive new Boeing 787-10 aircraft with direct-aisle-access seating from 2029. This means passengers on these Tanzania services are guaranteed the previous generation 'yin-yang' business class seats for the foreseeable future.
Avios redemption availability
Reward seats are already available for booking with Avios points. British Airways has released its full allocation of Avios seats on the new route. However, the availability is split between the two Tanzanian destinations.
Each flight will have two Club World seats available for redemption to Kilimanjaro and two to Zanzibar. In World Traveller Plus, there is one seat per destination, and in World Traveller, four seats are available per destination. The flights are listed on the airline's website, though final pricing was not yet available at the time of the report.
Expected Avios pricing
Based on the flight distance, the Head for Points analysis suggests pricing will be similar to the airline's Nairobi route. The publication provided estimated return redemption costs, noting the triangle routing might complicate final calculations.
| Cabin Class | Season | Avios Cost | Cash Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Traveller | Off-Peak | 66,000 | £190 |
| World Traveller | Peak | 77,000 | £190 |
| World Traveller Plus | Off-Peak | 104,500 | £460 |
| World Traveller Plus | Peak | 148,500 | £460 |
| Club World | Off-Peak | 198,000 | £599 |
| Club World | Peak | 220,000 | £599 |
The report included a comparison, stating, Because you would be stuck with the old business class seat, if you don’t have a British Airways American Express or Barclaycard voucher you will get a better quality trip by redeeming on Qatar Airways via Doha. A Qatar Airways business class redemption from London to Kilimanjaro was quoted as costing 130,000 Avios plus £740 in taxes and fees. The analysis noted that if standard Qatar award seats are sold out, 'Flexi' seats are usually available at double the Avios cost.
British Airways has not yet published cash fares for the new seasonal destinations.
