British Airways Set to Return to Tanzania After 13 Years With Direct Flights to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar
British Airways has announced it will return to Tanzania after an absence of roughly 13 years, launching direct flights from London Gatwick to both Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar. The seasonal service is scheduled to begin on 29 May 2027 and run through 31 October 2027, operating three times a week on a Boeing 777-200(ER) in a triangular routing: London Gatwick → Kilimanjaro → Zanzibar → London Gatwick.
Image: Wikimedia Commons — a British Airways Boeing 777-200ER (G-VIIP), the aircraft type confirmed for the new Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar route.
Why this route, and why now
The new service will make British Airways the only UK-based airline flying direct to Tanzania, and the fifth European carrier to serve the market overall. Neil Chernoff, BA's Chief Planning and Strategy Officer, said the airline was "excited to launch flights to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar," pointing to the destinations' appeal for travellers combining a northern-circuit safari with a beach extension on the Zanzibar archipelago — a pairing that has long been one of Tanzania's strongest tourism selling points.
The aircraft will fly in a three-class configuration — Club World, World Traveller Plus and World Traveller — giving premium safari and honeymoon travellers from the UK a direct option into the country for the first time in over a decade. Previously, UK-origin travellers to Tanzania have typically had to connect through Doha, Dubai, Addis Ababa, Nairobi or Amsterdam.
What it means for Tanzania's aviation sector
For Tanzania's tourism-dependent economy, a direct long-haul link from one of Europe's largest outbound travel markets is a meaningful vote of confidence, especially coming from a flag carrier as prominent as British Airways. It also puts Kilimanjaro International Airport and Zanzibar's Abeid Amani Karume International Airport back on the map for a major European widebody operator, which typically brings knock-on investment in ground handling, fuelling, catering and passenger services at both airports.
A note for the maintenance and ground-ops side
Beyond the headlines about tourism, a new scheduled widebody service also means new demand on the ground: ramp handling for a 777, line maintenance support arrangements, spares logistics, and coordination between the operating airline's engineering teams and local providers. For maintenance professionals and ground-service companies based around Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar, this is exactly the kind of route announcement worth tracking closely over the next 18 months as BA firms up its local support arrangements ahead of the May 2027 launch.
Looking ahead
It's worth remembering the start date is still some way off — May 2027 — and that seasonal long-haul routes are occasionally adjusted or delayed before launch. Even so, the announcement itself has already generated plenty of excitement in Tanzania's travel trade, and it fits into a broader pattern of European carriers taking a fresh look at East Africa as competition and demand into the region grow.
Source: This article draws on reporting from Aviation A2Z and Rus Tourism News.