British Airways is planning to double the number of flights between Dublin and London Heathrow on its service this winter.

Following the acquisition of bmi by International Airlines Group (IAG), British Airways now operates this air link after taking over the route at the end of June.

The changes will take place when the airline introduces its winter 2012 schedule and launches a new timetable which sees the number of daily services increase from four to eight return flights, enabling it to offer thousands more seats a week between both cities.

The new schedule, effective from October 28, will also include the introduction of a new early morning departure time of 6.25am benefiting both business and leisure customers.

Commenting on the announcement, Simon Daly, British Airways’ Sales Manager Ireland, said: “I am delighted to see the British Airways colours back in Dublin after an absence of 20 years. We appreciate the importance of air links to London and are pleased to announce that less than two months after taking over this route, we are now able to respond to customer demand and increase capacity.

“Our improved schedule also sees us adding a new early morning departure time from Dublin which will mean that passengers will be able to extend their working day should they need to.

“In addition, it offers both business and leisure passengers greater choice in terms of connections to our extensive global network at London Heathrow bringing destinations on the world map closer to Ireland, benefitting Irish businesses, tourism and Ireland as a whole.”

Dublin Airport Authority’s Director of Strategy Vincent Harrison welcomed British Airways decision to double frequency on its Heathrow service, saying it underscored the importance of the Dublin-London route.

“We have worked closely with British Airways since the bmi takeover and are delighted that the airline has decided to significantly increase its services on the Dublin-London Heathrow route. This is excellent news for business and leisure travellers, as British Airways doubling of its existing Heathrow service will offer additional choice and flexibility for passengers. Dublin-London is Europe’s busiest international city pair with 3.7 million passengers travelling by air between the two capitals last year.”

The route will be operated by a 150-seater A319 aircraft offering the choice of both Club Europe and Club Traveller cabins and passengers can enjoy a full onboard experience with complimentary food and drinks.