Delta Air Lines is bidding farewell to London’s second-busiest airport.
The Atlanta-based carrier on Tuesday confirmed it will not return to London Gatwick Airport (LGW) in 2026, opting instead to focus its attention on the region’s far larger Heathrow Airport (LHR) hub.
Delta had previously operated flights to Gatwick from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) during the summer months.
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But as industry watcher Ishrion Aviation first reported, those flights will not return next year.
In a statement to TPG on Tuesday, a Delta spokesperson said the move was meant to “align our flying with market demand” — and reiterated the carrier will continue to fly twice-daily service between JFK and Heathrow between April and October.
JFK to Gatwick was something of a niche route for Delta, and increasingly a unicorn among the dozens of daily flights between the U.S. and London.
It was Delta’s only route to the smaller London airport, which is south of the city and a frequent departure airport for travelers booked on intra-Europe flights (Gatwick is the largest base for British low-cost carrier EasyJet).
Read more: Delta cuts 2 domestic routes, 1 from Atlanta and another from Salt Lake City
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The ticketing area at London Gatwick Airport. SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
Heathrow, by contrast, is a major international gateway — and a global hub for Virgin Atlantic, Delta’s SkyTeam alliance partner.
Airlines pull back on US-Gatwick service
Delta isn’t the only airline to pull back on Gatwick of late.
British Airways will end nonstop Gatwick service to JFK and Las Vegas in 2026, according to schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
JetBlue has also scaled back its Gatwick presence in recent years. The carrier no longer serves LGW from JFK.
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A boarding area celebration for JetBlue’s August 2022 inaugural flight from Boston to London Gatwick Airport (LGW). SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
During the first half of 2026, total flights between the U.S. and LGW will be down more than 25% versus 2025.
A few Gatwick routes will remain in place, though:
- Norse Atlantic Airways flies to Gatwick from JFK and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
- British Airways still connects Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Tampa International Airport (TPA) to its smaller U.K. hub.
- JetBlue maintains Gatwick service from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).
Bottom line
While travelers may hate to see any London routes disappear, the list of daily routes between the U.S. and Heathrow is long — and LHR is certainly the best-connected U.K. hub for passengers connecting to other global destinations.
For its part, Delta will continue to fly nonstop to Heathrow from all but one of its international hubs (LAX).
Elsewhere, the carrier has added some enticing new European destinations for next summer — including new nonstop flights to Porto, Portugal; Malta; and Sardinia, Italy.
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