British Airways will fly to Tanzania again from next year, ending a gap that has kept the airline out of the country since 2013.
The airline confirmed on Thursday that it will launch a new route connecting London Gatwick with Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar starting 29 May 2027. The service will run three times a week through the end of October, covering the peak safari season and UK school holidays.
It marks British Airways’ first scheduled return to Tanzania since it withdrew its Dar es Salaam route in March 2013, a gap of 13 years driven largely by competition from Gulf carriers offering cheaper connections through their hubs.
How the route works
Flights will operate as a single service under flight number BA2163, departing Gatwick, landing first in Kilimanjaro, then continuing to Zanzibar before returning to London overnight. A passenger flying out of Kilimanjaro cannot use the same flight to fly home from there; the return leg only departs from Zanzibar.
| Leg | Departs | Arrives | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Gatwick to Kilimanjaro | 09:05 | 20:20 local | Mon, Thu, Sat |
| Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar | 21:20 | 22:25 local | Mon, Thu, Sat |
| Zanzibar to London Gatwick | 00:25 | 07:55 local | Tue, Fri, Sun |
The airline will fly the route on a Boeing 777, offering Club World business class, World Traveller Plus premium economy and World Traveller economy. Return fares start at £849, including taxes, fees and a hand baggage allowance.
Two destinations, one ticket
Kilimanjaro International Airport is the entry point to Tanzania’s Northern Safari Circuit, home to the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Lake Manyara. It also serves climbers heading up Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest peak.
Zanzibar draws a different traveller altogether. Its white sand beaches, coral reefs and the UNESCO listed Stone Town have made it one of the Indian Ocean’s most visited islands.
British Airways framed the pairing as a single sales pitch: safari and beach on one ticket. Neil Chernoff, the airline’s chief planning and strategy officer, said the carrier was pleased to expand choice for customers.
“Tanzania is a destination that has it all, from world famous safaris and Mount Kilimanjaro to the stunning beaches of Zanzibar, and we can’t wait to welcome customers on board,” Chernoff said.
Cape Town gets more capacity too
Alongside the Tanzania launch, British Airways said it will add three more weekly flights on its Heathrow to Cape Town route from March 2027, lifting frequency from seven to ten flights a week. The increase sits inside a wider summer schedule that also adds capacity to Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Las Vegas.
A crowded runway back into East Africa
British Airways is not the only carrier eyeing a Tanzania comeback. Air Tanzania has separately said it plans to launch its own direct London Gatwick to Kilimanjaro service from July 2027, positioning the national carrier to compete head on with British Airways on the same route within months of each other.
Khusoko has previously reported that Kenyan budget carrier Jambojet also plans to expand into Tanzania, with new flights to Dar es Salaam and a relaunch of its Entebbe route targeted for 2027. Combined with British Airways’ return and Air Tanzania’s plans, the moves point to a broader race among airlines to capture rising UK and regional demand for Tanzanian tourism ahead of next year’s peak season.
Bookings for the new British Airways route are open now, though the first departure remains eight months away.
