British Airways is opening up a new route to Istanbul. You might think to yourself nothing new under the sun, BA already flies to Istanbul and you would be right. However all current flights operate to Istanbul International Airport (IST) located on the European side of the Turkish city. This new flight will operate out of Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW) located on the Asian side of the city. Here are the details about British Airways London to Istanbul flight BA602.
About the New London Istanbul British Airways Flight
The flight has already launched and is available for booking on as of now. The new flight gives travellers to the Turkish megalopolis extra alternatives. While the new Istanbul International Airport (IST) is a intercontinental mega hub, Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW) serves a lot of more local destinations and is home to low cost carriers. Therefore it is the preferred option for travellers looking to connect to other destinations within Turkey.
Also the location of the airport is another key factor. Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW) is much more central, when compared to Istanbul International Airport (IST) so it might be more convenient for some passengers to fly into the older hub.
In August 2023 the flight was confirmed by British Airways for the winter season and will be a year round service.
The London Heathrow Istanbul BA602 flight schedule
Now that we’ve talked about why British Airways opened up this new flight to Istanbul, let’s take a closer look at how it’ll operate schedule wise.
BA602 flight from London Heathrow (LHR) to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW) will have a 4 times weekly frequency. The flight will be available on:
- Mondays
- Thursdays
- Fridays
- Sundays
As per the scheduling of the flight will operate as follows:
- BA602 will fly out of London Heathrow (LHR) at 07:35 with arrival into Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW) at 13:45. Estimated flight time 4 hours 10 minutes.
- Return flight BA603 will fly out of Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW) at 16:55 with arrival into London Heathrow (LHR) at 19:10.
In winter 2023 the schedule will vary as follows:
| Days of Week | Flight Number | Departure Airport | Code | Departure Time | Arrival Airport | Code | Arrival Time | Flight Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Monday Friday | BA602 | London Heathrow | LHR | 07:55 | Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen | SAW | 12:05 | 3hr 10min |
| BA603 | Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen | SAW | 12:55 | London Heathrow | LHR | 17:10 | 3hr 15min | |
| Thursday Saturday | BA602 | London Heathrow | LHR | 08:00 | Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen | SAW | 12:10 | 3hr 10min |
| BA603 | Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen | SAW | 13:00 | London Heathrow | LHR | 17:15 | 3hr 15min |
The Plane Chosen For BA602 Flight
The plane quite is quite predictably the Airbus A320. This is the go to option for British airways on flights within Europe. These planes feature the same seat layout throughout the cabin in a 3-3 configuration. Business class (Club Europe), as often is the case in Europe consists of having the center seat blocked. The number of business class rows can therefore be adjusted according to bookings for the specific flights.
