British Airways’ decision to halt flights to two Gulf countries has angered politicians in the UK, but people in Bahrain are fighting back with a petition they hope will stop it from happening. By the end of the first quarter of 2025, the UK airline plans to pull daily flights to Bahrain and Kuwait from its schedule, as it says these routes are no longer commercially viable, due to Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine issues on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. In an official statement seen by The National, British Airways said it was “disappointed” to make this decision, but “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”. When asked whether they will reinstate the routes once the engine issues are resolved, there was no response. Long-standing ties Stanley Szecowka, managing editor of Bahrain’s national newspaper Gulf Daily News, is now trying to reverse the decision. He has started a petition on change.org, calling on readers and residents to help convince BA chairman and chief executive Sean Doyle to keep the direct route between London and Bahrain. So far, more than 2,000 people have signed it since it launched on Sunday. “British […]