British Airways is facing backlash after axing flights to two of the UK’s key allies in the Middle East.
The airline announced it was no longer doing direct flights to Bahrain and Kuwait – a move that has been branded “madness” by local officials.
BA said that flights to the two Gulf states were no longer commercially viable, only currently running one flight a day to each capital.
The move has sparked concerns that the UK’s influence could be reduced while also straining relations with regional allies. Bahrain is home to a Royal Navy base at the Mina Salman Port.
Dr Liam Fox, defence secretary under David Cameron, told the Mail that the decision would send “totally the wrong message” about the UK’s diplomatic intentions and would harm UK business interests in the countries.
“At a time when the Gulf is becoming much more important geopolitically and we are attempting to negotiate new trade agreements in the region, this would be a blow to UK PLC,” he said. “It’s the worst possible decision at the worst possible time.”
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has called on the Government to step in to try to defuse the growing diplomatic crisis. “BA is a private company and it is their ultimate decision,” he said. “But there must be a way for the Government to remediate this.”
Bahraini officials are also said to be angered by the fact that they were not consulted by BA before it decided to scrap the routes.
A source close to the Bahraini government said: “It’s madness when you have a British Navy base here and with the strength of the relationship.”
In a statement, BA said: “We’re disappointed that we’ve had to make further changes to our schedule as we continue to experience delays to the delivery of engines and parts from Rolls-Royce.”
“We’ve taken this action because we do not believe the issue will be solved quickly, and we want to offer our customers the certainty they deserve for their travel plans.”
The Bahrain Airport Company said there had been “no discussion” around the decision, and while it was “disappointed” it hoped BA would “reassess”.
