BA Prepares For Winter 2025 Without Grounded 787s

British Airways (BA) is continuing to face operational challenges as several of its Boeing 787 remain grounded due to ongoing issues with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.

Speaking from the sidelines of Routes Americas 2025, Neil Chernoff, BA’s chief planning and strategy officer, acknowledged the impact of the situation, stating that uncertainty around engine availability has forced the airline to take a more conservative approach to its scheduling.

Chernoff confirmed that four of BA’s 787 aircraft remain out of service, creating disruptions that have led to route suspensions and frequency reductions.

“We’re working with Rolls-Royce, and they understand the issue, but it’s hard to get certainty,” he told Aviation Week in Nassau, Bahamas. “We’re developing plans for the winter [2025-26] season both with and without those aircraft.

“It’s possible we get some of them back over the summer, but we’ve learned that we need to give customers certainty. I’d rather not have them in the schedule, and if they become available, we’ll see if we can fly them.”

The engine-related disruptions have had a direct impact on BA’s route network, leading to the suspension of flights to Abu Dhabi and delaying the launch of service to Kuala Lumpur. Kuwait has also been dropped from the carrier’s network.

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When asked whether these routes might return if the grounded aircraft are restored, Chernoff indicated that resumption is a possibility but not a certainty. “It might be resumptions of those routes, or it might depend on where we were looking to grow,” he said.

To mitigate the impact, BA has leaned on its partner airlines, including fellow Oneworld alliance member American Airlines and sister International Airlines Group (IAG) carriers Iberia and Vueling. This summer, American will take over BA’s daily route between London Heathrow Airport and Dallas-Fort Worth, increasing frequencies to 5X-daily.

As BA grapples with these fleet constraints, Chernoff emphasized that the airline’s priority is to maintain a reliable schedule rather than risk last-minute cancellations. “The key is giving customers confidence,” he said. “We’ll plan conservatively and adapt if aircraft become available.”