KUWAIT CITY, Nov 9: British Airways (BA) announced it will indefinitely suspend flights to Bahrain and Kuwait by the end of March 2025 due to ongoing issues with Rolls-Royce engines powering its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet.

The airline’s decision affects routes it has served for nearly a century in Bahrain (92 years) and over six decades in Kuwait. The cuts come amid a wider reduction in British Airways’ services, including the recent decision to discontinue flights to Dallas Fort Worth from the summer of 2025 and a reduction in services to Miami.

These latest route changes follow BA's earlier decision to end non-stop flights from Heathrow to Beijing and reduce its Hong Kong service by half. BA attributed the cutbacks in its Asian network to the rising costs associated with Russian airspace restrictions.

The airline’s long-anticipated return to Kuala Lumpur has also been postponed by at least six months. Initially slated for October 2024 with daily flights on the 787-9 Dreamliner, the service is delayed as British Airways awaits delivery of crucial parts from Rolls-Royce for its Trent 1000 engines.

Supply chain delays with Rolls-Royce have compounded BA’s operational challenges, already impacted by the limited availability of its Airbus A380 superjumbo fleet. These ongoing engine issues have forced British Airways to make tough decisions, leading to deeper schedule cuts and potential redundancies for long-serving cabin crew stationed in Bahrain and Kuwait.

In a statement last month, BA expressed frustration with Rolls-Royce, highlighting the significant impact the engine manufacturer’s issues are having on the airline’s operations. BA’s Chief Operations Officer Rene de Groot initially assured staff the cancellations would last only about ten days, but delays in the delivery of replacement parts suggest the disruptions may be more prolonged.

As British Airways grapples with the supply chain bottlenecks, its customers and crew members remain in limbo, with no clear resolution in sight.