British Airways (BA, London Heathrow) has retried its schedule as a continuous supply chain issue with the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine powered by the B787 fleet.
Recently, speaking to Aviation Week, BA Chief Planning and Strategy Director Neil Chernoff said that the ongoing uncertainty about engine availability requires airlines to take a more cautious approach to scheduling. He said.
British Airways operates 41 B787s, including 12 B787-8s, 18 B787-9s and 11 B787-10s. According to data from CH -Aviation Fleets, four of that number -8, two -9, and one -10 have stopped service. Chernoff said the four have stopped services due to a lack of engines and the airline doesn’t know when the exchange will arrive.
“It’s hard to get certainty,” he said. You need to give your customers certainty.
In October 2024, CH-Aviation reported that British Airways delayed restarting Kuala Lumpur International Services, and delayed engine and parts delivery from Rolls-Royce, resulting in several other mid- and long-range flight frequencies. reportedly delaying reducing the number. The following month, the airline announced the suspension of flights between London Gatwick and New York JFK and Heathrow to Kuwait and Bahrain International for the same reasons.
As reported in the airline portal, British Airways has now cut flights on the San Diego International, Houston InterContinental and New Orleans International routes later this year. These routes are fully or partially operated by the B787. BA has already announced the suspension of flights to Dallas/Fort Worth over the coming summer.
Chernoff said British Airways is building a schedule up to factorization in 2026 with the out-of-service B787. “The key is to give customers confidence,” he said.
He said that if the aircraft unexpectedly returns to service, British Airways will use them to resume stopped services or deploy them elsewhere, depending on where the best growth opportunities are. He added that it can be done.
