On Sunday, October 26, when northern carriers switch to winter schedules, 
Given these developments, it is easy to think that Heathrow is not renowned for its lack of slots. But there are various ways to obtain them, as mentioned below. Still, they are generally unavailable. No wonder it’s the world’s third-busiest airport for widebody flights, and why it has among the highest numbers of seats per flight.
Riyadh Air Will Arrive At 07:30
The startup carrier 
It will become the fourth airline on the airport pair, joining British Airways (two daily), Saudia (three to four daily), and Virgin Atlantic (daily; service began in March 2025). Up to eight daily flights will now be available. It’s a huge local market of around 460,000 passengers in the 12 months to August 2025 (1,260 daily).
Until Riyadh Air’s own Boeing 787-9s arrive, it will temporarily deploy the HZ-RXX, which is an 8.6-year-old frame with 288 seats in a two-class layout. It is leased from Oman Air and its spare aircraft.
Given Heathrow’s use-it-or-lose-it slot rule, which requires them to be used at least 80% of the time, Riyadh Air must operate. Given this, and the lack of its own aircraft with its own product, it’ll temporarily fly with employees and the families of the airline and its owner, and use the chance to test everything ahead of the ‘official’ launch. Tickets for the public will go on sale soon.
Air Peace Will Follow At 16:30
Nigeria’s Air Peace had long complained about its inability to secure slots at the coveted, expensive, and high-yielding Heathrow. It even did so on social media, incorrectly believing slot decisions were made by the UK Government and not an independent body. As such, its London debut took place from Lagos to London Gatwick in March 2024.
It finally managed to obtain Heathrow slots from the normal pool. This explains why it’ll only operate from Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with a late afternoon/early evening arrival. The Boeing 777-200ER and Terminal 3 will be used. On day one, it will arrive at 16:30. As it could not obtain enough slots, it will begin a twice-weekly Abuja-Gatwick service on October 28, increasing costs, complexity, and potentially confusion.
With an average one-way fare across all passengers/cabins of $1,161 each way, Abuja was Heathrow’s highest-yielding large African market. No wonder BA runs daily on first-class-equipped 777-200ERs. Air Peace’s entry means BA will have direct competition for the first time in 13 years. Arik Air used 737-800s (!) on the airport pair until 2012.
|
Days |
Abuja To Heathrow; Local Times* |
Days |
Heathrow To Abuja; Local Times |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Fridays |
P47576: 11:30-17:00 |
Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays |
P47577: 21:10-04:20+1 |
|
Saturdays |
P47576: 11:20-16:30 |
||
|
Sundays |
P47576: 11:20-16:30 |
||
|
* Notice the ‘weird’ flight number, which can result when an airline’s IATA code includes numbers |
IndiGo Will Arrive At 19:20
Using slots leased from Virgin, IndiGo will serve Heathrow’s Terminal 3. Operating daily from Mumbai on Norse Atlantic’s 338-seat 787-9s, it will complete the day’s trio of new long-haul arrivals. As is common at heavily slot-constrained airports, its schedule will vary somewhat per day. On October 26, 6E1 will leave Mumbai at 14:45 and arrive at 19:20 local time. Returning, 6E2 will depart at 21:30 and return at 11:45+1.
Heathrow-Mumbai had around 700,000 local passengers in the year to August (1,918 daily). IndiGo’s entry means up to nine daily nonstop flights will exist. It’ll face Air Canada (four weekly; fifth freedom rights), Air India (two daily), BA (16 weekly), and Virgin (two daily). The prior record was eight daily departures.
It will be IndiGo’s second UK market, alongside Mumbai-Manchester. They’ll be joined by Delhi to Manchester, a route that will begin on November 14. This is despite IndiGo’s continued inability to overfly Pakistani airspace, which requires rerouting and the consequent extra fuel burn and time.