An airline is changing the services it operates at Gatwick.

British Airways has converted four short-haul Boeing 767 aircraft into long-haul planes, changing the layout in the passenger cabins.

It is now offering services to Tirana in Albania, Reykjavic in Iceland, Varna in Bulgaria, Kiev in Ukraine and Athens, Greece.

Services to Riga in Latvia are being moved from Heathrow to Gatwick and extra flights are being provided on the Gatwick to Bermuda route.

The airline has suspended services between Gatwick and Budapest, Hanover and Munich.

Robert Boyle, BA's director of planning, said: "Converting four short-haul Boeings into long-haul planes is a short-term measure to increase capacity.

"Our new short-haul routes from Gatwick include the first ever scheduled service between the UK and Tirana.

"Albania has enormous potential as a business and leisure destination especially as an increasing number of Albanians are based in the UK."

The new routes will start operating this week.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006