British Airways is to start direct flights from Heathrow to historic Krakow in May 2015 when it will become the second Polish city to be served by the airline.

The new four times a week service from Terminal 5 will be operated by a combination of Airbus A319s and A320s, and offer customers a choice of 5,600 seats a month in Club Europe and Euro Traveller Cabins.

British Airways currently offers a double daily service to the Polish capital, Warsaw, from Terminal 3, which the airline began flying to in 1939.

Neil Cottrell, British Airways’ head of planning, said: “We have a long history of flying to Poland and opening a route to the country’s second city now offers far greater choice for customers.

“With a sizeable Polish community in London, we know the route will be popular with Poles visiting friends and relatives.

“It will also serve our business travellers well as Krakow is an important economic hub which has seen significant UK investment and trade.

“We also expect the route to be very attractive to tourists who will be keen to explore this fascinating city.”

The city is famous for its historic city centre, which was the first in the world to be recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage centre, because of its beautiful Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture.

As well as being a centre of Polish culture for tourists, many also make the journey to the nearby former Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz to pay their respects.

British Airways flights include free online check-in and seat selection 24 hours prior to departure, and in-flight refreshments.