British Airways Posts Record Profits, Starlink Wi-Fi Launching in March & New Aircraft for Gatwick

British Airways has just released its 2025 annual results, and there's a lot to unpack. A record operating profit of £2,230m, the best punctuality in over a decade, and perhaps most excitingly for those of us who spend half our lives at 35,000 feet — free Starlink Wi-Fi launching on the first BA flight in March.

As someone with BA Gold status who flies them regularly, I've been following the airline's £7bn transformation programme closely. The results feel like a genuine turning point — not just for the balance sheet, but for the passenger experience. Let me break down what matters most for UK points collectors and frequent flyers.

IAG, BA's parent company, posted a group operating profit of €5.02bn for 2025 — up 13% year-on-year and comfortably ahead of analyst expectations. British Airways contributed £2,230m of that, up £182m from 2024, at an operating margin of 15.2%.

The airline flew 46.7 million passengers to 183 destinations across almost 308,000 flights, with capacity up 1.7% versus 2024. Premium cabin demand remained particularly strong, especially on transatlantic routes — which is worth remembering when we talk about award availability later.

Why does this matter for us? A profitable BA means continued investment in the product, more routes (and therefore more award seats), and less pressure to devalue Avios further. When airlines are struggling financially, loyalty programmes are often the first thing to get squeezed. Record profits give us cautious optimism.

This is the headline that will make the biggest difference to your next BA flight. CEO Sean Doyle confirmed that the first British Airways flight with free Starlink Wi-Fi will take off in March — just days away.

We've been covering the Starlink rollout since it was announced in November 2025, and the key details remain the same: gate-to-gate connectivity across all cabins on both short-haul and long-haul aircraft, with speeds up to 450 Mbps download and 70 Mbps upload. That's genuinely fast enough for video calls, streaming, and proper remote working.

The word "free" is particularly significant. While some airlines charge a premium for Starlink access, BA is making it complimentary for all passengers. This is a massive competitive advantage, especially for those of us who regularly use those London–Europe short-haul hops where the current Wi-Fi (if available at all) is barely usable.

The rollout will take time — BA has a fleet of around 280 aircraft to equip, and based on industry experience (Qatar Airways reports roughly 10 hours of installation time per aircraft), this will be a gradual process. Don't expect every flight to have Starlink overnight. But the fact that the first commercial flight is imminent is genuinely exciting.

For context, other IAG airlines are also adopting Starlink — Iberia will offer it for free across all flights too. If you're saving Avios on Iberia routes to Madrid and beyond, this is another reason to consider them. Emirates and Qatar Airways have also been rolling out Starlink, so the bar is being raised industry-wide.

Interested in trying Starlink at home or on the road? You can check out Starlink here.

The other major announcement is that the first of BA's 32 new Boeing 787-10 aircraft will be delivered to London Gatwick in 2029, beginning the replacement of the airline's ageing Boeing 777-200ER fleet.

This is genuinely significant for anyone who flies BA from Gatwick. The 777-200ERs based there are some of the oldest aircraft in the fleet — many are over 24 years old, with some approaching 27. While they've been serviceable, let's be honest: the cabin product on a Gatwick 777 doesn't exactly scream "premium airline." Crucially, these Gatwick 777s were never fitted with the Club Suite, so business class passengers there have been stuck with the older seat.

The new 787-10s should change all of that. BA's current 787-10 configuration features 8 First Class seats, 48 Club Suite seats, 35 Premium Economy, and 165 Economy — a proper four-class product. Whether Gatwick gets the same configuration remains to be seen (there's a strong case for a three-class layout without First for leisure-heavy routes), but either way, Club Suite coming to Gatwick is a major upgrade.

The aircraft will also feature crew bunks, which is important for longer missions to destinations like Mauritius, Bangkok, and the Caribbean that currently operate from Gatwick.

For Avios collectors, better aircraft at Gatwick could mean improved award availability too. New, fuel-efficient 787-10s have lower operating costs than the 777-200ERs, which could make airlines more willing to release reward seats on these routes. If you're looking for cheap Avios redemptions to the Caribbean or Indian Ocean, Award Travel Finder is the best way to search across multiple airlines for availability. You can also use our Avios flight cost calculator to check exactly how many Avios you'll need for any BA route.

BA achieved a record 82% D15 punctuality rate (flights departing within 15 minutes of schedule) in 2025, up from 73% in 2024. That's the airline's best operational performance since 2011, with Q4 2025 being the strongest winter performance on record.

If you've been flying BA over the past couple of years, you'll probably have noticed the improvement. I certainly have. There were fewer of those frustrating delays that can wreck a tight connection or eat into lounge time. The Net Promoter Score (customer satisfaction measure) jumped 10.5 points versus 2024, with reliable operations accounting for 70% of that improvement.

That said, the Heathrow power outage was a stark reminder of how fragile things can be. Over 700 flights were cancelled during that incident, though BA restored more than 95% of its schedule within days. If you fly through Heathrow regularly, it's worth bookmarking Flight Queue — our tool uses live data to show estimated queue lengths for security and passport control at Heathrow, which can be a lifesaver on disruption days.

BA confirmed that its new global lounge concept — launched in Miami and Dubai (we covered the Dubai lounge opening here) — will serve as the template for future developments. Critically, Heathrow lounges are next in line for a full redevelopment.

This is welcome news. While the First Wing at Terminal 5 has recently been refreshed (and looks excellent), the Galleries lounges at Heathrow are looking increasingly tired, especially the Galleries Club South. The Galleries First lounge is decent but can get extremely crowded. A full redevelopment couldn't come soon enough.

In total, BA renovated 15 lounges in 2025, including Seattle, Washington, Singapore, Glasgow, and Gatwick. If you're curious about what lounges are available at your departure airport, our Airport Lounge List covers lounges worldwide with amenities and opening hours, and the Lounge Access Finder tool helps you work out which lounges you can access based on your status and card.

Other 2026 highlights to look forward to include a new First Class seat design, the launch of British Airways ARC (a new music venue at Olympia in London), and a redesigned mobile app. The new First seat is particularly intriguing — BA currently lags behind competitors like Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines in the First cabin, and a fresh product could make First Class Avios redemptions even more compelling.

Here's my honest take on what BA's record year means for the Avios economy:

The good: A profitable, investing BA is better for all of us. More routes, better aircraft, improved lounges, and free Wi-Fi all make Avios redemptions more valuable. The ongoing transformation means that when you do spend your Avios on a BA flight, the product you're getting is genuinely improving year on year.

The cautious note: Strong premium demand — especially transatlantic — means award availability on the most popular routes continues to be competitive. If you're eyeing Club Suite seats to New York or Los Angeles, booking early remains essential. Tools like Award Travel Finder and Smart Redemptions (which shows points costs directly on Google Flights) are invaluable for spotting availability before it disappears.

The opportunity: The Gatwick 787-10 transition from 2029 onwards could unlock some fantastic new redemption opportunities on leisure routes. Caribbean, Mauritius, Maldives on a proper Club Suite? Yes please. In the meantime, BA's capacity growth of 1.7% means there are marginally more seats to go around. For those chasing tier points, BA recently made tier point bonuses permanent, which is another positive sign that the loyalty programme is being taken seriously.

With BA investing heavily in the product, now's a great time to be stacking Avios for future redemptions. Here are the quickest ways to build your balance:

American Express cards remain the fastest route for personal earning. The Amex Gold or Platinum offer substantial welcome bonuses that convert to Avios, and the current offers are some of the best we've seen. Check our best Avios credit cards guide for the full breakdown.

For business spending, the Amex Business Gold and Business Platinum are excellent, and Capital on Tap earns 1 Avios per £1 with no annual fee — I use two of these myself for everyday business spending. See our full business credit card guide for more options.

Don't forget the Avios app for earning on everyday purchases, and if you're looking to top up your balance directly, use our Avios Balance Boost calculator to compare whether buying from BA, Qatar Airways, or Finnair gives you the best rate.

BA's 2025 results paint a picture of an airline that's finally getting its act together after years of post-pandemic turbulence. Record profits, record punctuality, genuine investment in the product, and Starlink launching in days — not months.

As someone who's been both a cheerleader and critic of BA over the years, I'm cautiously optimistic. The proof will be in the execution — particularly how quickly Starlink rolls out across the fleet, whether the Heathrow lounge redevelopment lives up to the Miami and Dubai standard, and what that new First seat looks like.

For now though, it's good news all round. Our Avios are about to buy us an even better product than they did a year ago, and that's exactly the direction we want things to be heading.

Happy collecting,

Jack

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