British Airways Adds Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar From Gatwick

British Airways will add Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar to its long-haul network in 2027, using a triangular routing that combines the two Tanzanian destinations in a single Boeing 777 rotation from London Gatwick (LGW).

The seasonal service will begin May 29, 2027, and operate through October 31. According to the schedule published by the British Airways Groups Travel Hub, flights will run three times per week, departing Gatwick on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

British Airways has also added both destinations to its official new-routes listing. The operation gives the airline a nonstop southbound sector to Kilimanjaro (JRO), an onward flight to Zanzibar (ZNZ) and a nonstop overnight return from Zanzibar to Gatwick.

BA2163 Will Operate Across All Three Sectors

Flight BA2163 is scheduled to leave LGW at 9:05 a.m. and arrive at JRO at 8:20 p.m. local time. The aircraft will remain on the ground for one hour before departing at 9:20 p.m. and reaching ZNZ at 10:25 p.m.

The return sector will leave Zanzibar at 12:25 a.m. on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving at Gatwick at 7:55 a.m. All times are local.

That produces a scheduled flight time of nine hours and 15 minutes from Gatwick to Kilimanjaro during the British summer, followed by a one-hour, five-minute sector to Zanzibar. The nonstop northbound flight from Zanzibar is scheduled at nine hours and 30 minutes.

The pattern is designed around an open-jaw itinerary rather than two conventional round trips. A passenger can fly nonstop from Gatwick to Kilimanjaro, travel separately through Tanzania and return nonstop from Zanzibar. British Airways’ Kilimanjaro booking information confirms that it will offer multi-city itineraries using that combination, although transportation between Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar is not included.

Customers traveling only to Zanzibar will use the same aircraft throughout, with the service making its scheduled stop at JRO before continuing to the island. On the return, Zanzibar passengers receive the route’s only nonstop Tanzania-to-London sector.

The geometry is less straightforward for travelers whose trip is limited to the Kilimanjaro region. BA2163 does not operate directly from JRO to Gatwick. Those passengers will need to reach Zanzibar for the BA return flight or arrange a different routing home.

Boeing 777 Provides Three-Cabin Capacity

British Airways plans to operate the route with a Boeing 777, offering Club World business class, World Traveller Plus premium economy and World Traveller economy.

The airline lists its 777-200 fleet with capacity for up to 336 passengers, depending on configuration. The twin-engine widebody gives BA the passenger and belly-cargo capacity to combine two leisure-heavy destinations while retaining a premium cabin suitable for the long overnight return to London.

The three-class product also reflects the economics of BA’s Gatwick long-haul operation. First class is not part of the announced Tanzania cabin mix, allowing a larger share of the aircraft to be assigned to economy and premium economy demand while preserving a lie-flat business-class product.

At three weekly rotations, the service avoids committing daily widebody capacity to either destination. Combining JRO and ZNZ lets BA aggregate demand from safari, mountain and beach traffic while using the Zanzibar stop as the origin of the longer northbound sector.

Seasonal Schedule Targets Tanzania’s Dry Period

The late-May through October operating window places the route across the main northern Tanzania safari and trekking season as well as the European summer vacation period. British Airways says it will serve the region during the dry season, when demand for national park trips and Kilimanjaro climbs is typically strongest.

JRO serves the northern tourism circuit, including access to Arusha, Moshi, Mount Kilimanjaro, Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tarangire and Lake Manyara. Zanzibar adds a separate resort and cultural market centered on the Indian Ocean archipelago and Stone Town.

Those markets are frequently combined in one itinerary, but the international gateway is not always the same at both ends. The triangle structure formalizes that traffic flow: passengers arrive near the northern safari circuit and depart from Zanzibar after making their own domestic connection or surface arrangements between the two regions.

Gatwick Continues Building Its African Network

The Tanzania launch adds another African long-haul operation at Gatwick, where traffic to the continent has expanded through new and restored services. The airport said in July 2026 that its Africa passenger traffic had grown 72% since 2023 when announcing another addition to its network.

British Airways operates from Gatwick’s South Terminal, where its network is weighted more heavily toward leisure markets than its larger Heathrow operation. Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar fit that profile while expanding BA’s own reach in East Africa beyond itineraries that require a connection through another hub.

The route also gives Gatwick a distinctive pair of destinations. Rather than competing solely for passengers traveling to a major African capital, BA is placing a widebody directly into two tourism-focused markets and using the aircraft routing to connect them operationally.