BA Avios to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar: Prices and Availability

British Airways has finally opened Avios redemptions on its brand-new Tanzania routes to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar, with economy seats starting from 66,000 Avios plus £190 return. The routes launch on 29th May 2027 and run through to 31st October 2027 - meaning right now is your window to lock in summer 2027 award seats before availability dries up. There is a catch, though: only two Club World seats are on offer per flight, so business class redemptions will go fast.

When British Airways announced Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar as new destinations roughly two weeks ago, Avios bookings were blocked by a technical error. That error is now resolved. The unusual thing about this route is that it operates as a triangular routing - a first for British Airways - flying Gatwick to Kilimanjaro, then Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar, before returning direct from Zanzibar back to Gatwick without stopping in Kilimanjaro on the way home.

Flights depart three times a week - Monday, Thursday and Saturday - using the same flight number (BA2163) across all sectors. Here are the timings:

Because this is a Gatwick route, you will be on the older yin-yang Club World seat. British Airways is not due to receive its new Boeing 787-10 fleet (with direct-aisle-access seating) at Gatwick until 2029, so anyone booking Club World on this route will be in the legacy product for the foreseeable future.

Avios pricing is identical whether you are flying to Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar. The full price breakdown for a return redemption is:

British Airways has released the full complement of award seats across both destinations - but split them between the two stops. That means just two Club World seats to Kilimanjaro and two to Zanzibar on each flight, plus two World Traveller Plus and eight World Traveller seats. Economy availability is relatively generous; business class is not.

At 198,000 Avios plus £599 return in Club World (off-peak), you are paying a significant premium in points compared with the alternative. You can book the same journey via Qatar Airways through Doha for just 130,000 Avios plus £740 return - that is up to 90,000 fewer Avios, though with £141 more in taxes.

The Qatar product is also substantially better. Qatar's QSuites or business class cabin is widely regarded as one of the best in the sky, whereas the Gatwick Club World yin-yang seat is one of British Airways' oldest. Unless you have a British Airways Amex 2-4-1 Companion Voucher or a Barclaycard companion voucher to use - which would effectively halve the Avios cost - the Qatar route offers better value for most travellers.

If you do have a companion voucher to burn, the Club World maths looks much more attractive. At 198,000 Avios for two passengers in business class return, you are paying roughly 99,000 Avios per person - which is broadly comparable to the Qatar route on a per-person basis, and you avoid the connection in Doha. Use our BA Avios Flight Calculator to check the exact Avios cost for your preferred dates before you book.

Head straight to the British Airways website and search for reward flights from London Gatwick (LGW) to Kilimanjaro (JRO) or Zanzibar (ZNZ) for travel between 29th May 2027 and 31st October 2027. Availability is live. You can also use Award Travel Finder to scan for available dates quickly without having to click through BA's calendar one day at a time.

The triangular routing creates an important asymmetry: the outbound stops in both Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar, but the return flies direct from Zanzibar to Gatwick. If you only want to visit Kilimanjaro (for a Serengeti or Ngorongoro safari, for example), you will land and depart from Kilimanjaro - but the return leg still originates in Zanzibar. Make sure you are clear about which destination you are actually booking.

The Avios pricing applies the standard BA distance-based model, and Tanzania falls into the peak and off-peak pricing bands. Double-check which band your chosen dates fall into - peak pricing adds 11,000 to 22,000 Avios depending on cabin, which is a meaningful difference at the Club World level.

Also bear in mind: this is a brand-new route operating for the first time in May 2027. Schedule changes are always a possibility on new routes in the months before launch, so keep an eye on your booking and ensure you have flexibility in your travel plans.

Economy (World Traveller) starts from 66,000 Avios plus £190 return in off-peak. Business class (Club World) costs 198,000 Avios plus £599 return off-peak, or 220,000 Avios plus £599 return at peak.

Yes - Qatar Airways via Doha costs 130,000 Avios plus £740 return, which is up to 90,000 fewer Avios than the BA direct route, though with £141 more in taxes. Unless you have a BA companion voucher, Qatar offers significantly better value and a far superior seat.

The routes launch on 29th May 2027 and operate until 31st October 2027. Flights run three times a week on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.

Yes. BA has split the award seats between the two destinations, so you can book to Kilimanjaro (JRO) or Zanzibar (ZNZ) separately. Each destination has two Club World seats, two World Traveller Plus and eight World Traveller seats available per flight.

British Airways has resolved the Avios booking error on its new Tanzania routes, and seats are available now for summer 2027 travel. Economy seats from 66,000 Avios return are the standout value - particularly if your travel dates fall into the off-peak band. Business class on the direct BA route is expensive in Avios and comes with an ageing seat; most travellers without a companion voucher will find the Qatar Airways routing via Doha a better use of points. If you are sitting on a 2-4-1 voucher, however, the BA route suddenly becomes much more competitive and the appeal of a more direct connection is real. Either way, Club World has just two seats per destination per flight, so do not sit on this decision.

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