16
November
2021
|
16:55 PM
Europe/Amsterdam

TPA resumes service to London on British Airways

Welcome back, U.K. travelers. 

After a 20-month hiatus, Tampa International Airport restored its first nonstop connection to Europe as British Airways resumed service between Tampa and London Gatwick.  

The last time the airline flew this route was in March 2020, when international travel was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The White House recently lifted travel restrictions for fully vaccinated foreign travelers entering the U.S., paving the way for TPA’s European carriers to restart service to the Tampa Bay region and making it easier for European travelers to get to the U.S. 

TPA's nonstop service to London dates back to 1985. This route was the airport's first nonstop international service and served as a key connector between Tampa Bay and Europe. 

“We are delighted to restore this nonstop flight between Tampa Bay and London, celebrating the relationship we’ve enjoyed with British Airways for more than 30 years and the large positive economic impact this service has on our community and region,” said Chris Minner, Executive Vice President of Marketing. “Nonstop flights to the United Kingdom are a major focus of our international strategy, and it's a wonderful feeling to see British Airways in our skies again.” 

The U.K. is Tampa International Airport’s second largest international tourism market behind Canada with more than 150,000 passengers having flown this nonstop route in 2019. 

“We can’t wait to welcome our customers back on board our Tampa flights and we are honored to be playing our part in reuniting families and friends with their loved ones after such a long time apart,” said Marie Hilditch, British Airways’ head of North America sales. “The safety of our customers and colleagues has always been at the heart of everything we do. We know some customers won’t have flown for a long time, but we can assure them we have a range of COVID-19 measures in place to provide hassle-free travel.” 

Tampa International Airport served 15,715 international passengers this August, down 84.6% compared to 2019. TPA’s Air Service Development team continues to be in close contact with various European and other foreign carriers as it looks to growing international service connections. 

British Airways flights will operate five times weekly until December when the carrier is scheduled to increase to six days a week. 

There are vaccine and testing requirements for international travel and details can be found here.