FlyerTalker39574

and sometimes the same aircraft operates one of the last few long hauls out of LHR.

Boeing77W

You’re right. The only training (from a Flight Crew perspective) for the 787-10 is an iPad based package.

1Aturnleft

I believe the Nice rotations, I would need photo evidence of Jersey.... Considering the length of the runway there, this may just be a pipe dream.....

1Aturnleft

I take it all back:


BCAL A310 at Jersey main terminal in 1984



BA TriStar landing at Jersey to help clear fog disrupted passengers

FFlash

Finnair flies A330 between HEL-BRU and occasionally Malaga-Helsinki too. They do even Dubai-Helsinki with A359.

Then there is a new Chinese 5th freedom CPH-HEL and a few others coming

garykung

Yes - UA.

Occasionally, UA will swap narrow-bodies with wide-bodies for domestic run based on operational needs. One of the shortest routes is SFO-LAX (~337 miles or about 1 hour of flight time), using B772.

Because UA also has CPU for its elite, I was able to score a J seat for free.

londonba2014

Any speculation for routes we might see long haul aircraft return to? Any views on if the Madrid sector might return or has it gone for good?

champair79

Madrid is primarily for cargo transfer between the BA and IB hubs so it is almost guaranteed to return at some point. It is dependant on both the BA and IB widebody networks expanding and returning to something approaching pre-pandemic levels to enable hub to hub freight transfers though.

TraumaDoc

Brexit (shudder) has completely turned the UK-EU freight market on it's head since a widebody last operated LHR-MAD.

I don't know enough about the intricacies of such things, but I can't imagine it not having an impact one way or the other...

skipness1E

Well Iberia currently have two LHR rotations per day A350/A330.

Confus

That would be true if any of the freight were actually travelling between the UK and Spain. But it’s not, it’s heading from the Far East to South America, and is thus covered by transshipment rules the same as it’s always been.

KeaneJohn

Pretty sure I’ve seen 787s on the 460/1 rotation later this year previously but can’t find the, today. Also surprisingly this rotation isn’t on the cheapest fare for a lot of days making a same rotation return for people that want some wide body love.

travelsbyplane

Agree with others, I think we'll still see these twice daily widebody flights between LHR and MAD. This is possibly the most important cargo "bridge" for IAG Cargo and has been persistently running twice daily for years, albeit until recently with one IB frame and one BA frame (now changed to two IB frames instead). I would imagine that as long as IB and BA are both connected as closely as they are now through IAG, then I don't see an immediate reason why these important cargo flights would cease.

Also worth noting that for April and May, it's actually twice daily IB A350, then back to A330/A350 from June. The BA 787 is/was showing from November, but that will likely change in my view. I can't wait to get back on one of these flights once travel restrictions are lifted!

Aside from these LHR - MAD flights, it's also worth noting that BA often stick 787s on other short haul routes e.g. ZRH, LCA, ATH, also for cargo reasons, but these are often not added until the last minute e.g. up to 2 weeks prior when the cargo requirements are finalised. There have been a number of these during the pandemic, but I'm not sure how frequent they will be once restrictions start to ease. Someone with knowledge of the reasons for these cargo flights may be able to answer that.

londonba2014

Rumour doing the rounds that we might see A350s operating select Palma flights from July

BAeuro

How interesting. That really does show how short haul and leisure travel are going to be BA’s big business for now.