On March 26, and after 10 years of negotiations and preparations, British Airways started its flights between London – Gatwick (LGW) and Aruba (AUA) operated via Antigua (ANU). The British airline is the third airline to offer European connections to Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA).
Flight BA2157 was operated in a Boeing 777, which took off from Gatwick Airport (LGW) at 10:56 local time and landed at Aruba (AUA) at 17:04, after a stopover at V. C. Bird International Airport (ANU).
«This is yet another achievement for our island’s tourism industry with a permanent service between London Gatwick Airport and Aruba. The introduction of this direct service is a goal we were working towards, and it is wonderful to see how the efforts to develop the service are paying off«, Joost Meijs, CEO of Aruba Airport Authority NV.
British Airways flight schedule between London and Aruba
- London/Gatwick – Antigua Flight BA2157 LGW 10:00 – ANU 13:55 Thursday and Sunday.
- Antigua – Aruba Flight BA2157 ANU 15:05 – AUA 17:00 Thursday and Sunday.
- Aruba – Antigua Flight BA2156/2256 AUA 18:30 – ANU 20:15 Thursday and Sunday.
- Antigua – London/Gatwick Flight BA2156/2256 ANU 21:25 – LGW 10:25+1 Thursday and Sunday.
The route is operated by BA’s Boeing 777-200ER aircraft with 336 seats in three classes (32 Business/52 Premium Economy/252 Economy) and promotional fares are available from 717 EUR one way.
British Airways’ Caribbean network has services to Antigua (ANU), Bermuda (BDA), Bridgetown (BGI), Grand Cayman (CGM), Kingston (KIN), Nassau (NAS), Providenciales (PLS), Port of Spain (POS), Punta Cana (PUJ), Saint Kitts (SKB), Tobago (TAB), St. Lucia (UVF) and now Aruba (AUA).
Currently the European market at Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA) is served by KLM and TUIFly Holland both have year-round service from Amsterdam (AMS) and TUI Airways which offers seasonal service from London – Gatwick (LGW) and Brussels (BRU).
«In a very competitive industry, it is essential to have year-round direct service and easy connections from major markets. This is a team effort and I am convinced it will be a success«, added Meijs.
See also: British Airways to increase flights between London and Buenos Aires
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