British Airways adds Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar from Gatwick, plus a nonstop to Buenos Aires

British Airways is returning to Tanzania next summer with two destinations on one routing. Flights leave London Gatwick, stop in Kilimanjaro, continue to Zanzibar and fly back to Gatwick. The airline announced the route on Sept. 17, according to its announcement.

The schedule

BA2163 runs from May 29 to Oct. 31, 2027:

• Gatwick to Kilimanjaro: Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, departing 09:05 and arriving 20:20
• Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar: same days, departing 21:20 and arriving 22:25
• Zanzibar to Gatwick: Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, departing 00:25 and arriving 07:55

The aircraft is a 777 with Club World, World Traveller Plus and World Traveller. BA advertises return fares from £849.

Before you fly

The flight leaves from Gatwick, so you'll use BA's lounges there. Our users rate the Club Lounge (South) very highly. The First Lounge (South) is for First passengers and oneworld Emerald members.

The Zanzibar departure is a red-eye at 00:25, so a lounge before that flight would be welcome. BA's release doesn't mention lounge arrangements in Tanzania.

Separately, Qatar Airways resumes daily Doha–Zanzibar flights on Oct. 25, 2026. That gives oneworld travelers another option this winter, ahead of BA's start.

The rest of BA's summer 2027 changes

These start March 28, 2027:

• Buenos Aires: goes nonstop and daily, with a tag to Santiago.
• Rio de Janeiro: becomes its own daily route, so it gets more seats.
• San José, Costa Rica: becomes year-round, three times a week.
• Cape Town: rises to 10 flights a week.
• Las Vegas: rises to 14 flights a week.
• Barbados: Gatwick–Barbados becomes year-round.