British Airways has responded to increasing frustration and dismay expressed in the wake of delays and cancellations on its service between Bermuda and London this year.

The airline, which operates the only direct flights between the Island and the UK, said it is committed to the route and will always do everything it can to get passengers to their destination safely and as quickly as possible.

The company stated it does not have an aircraft solely dedicated to the Bermuda route but operates its planes on a rotational basis, and it said the demand on its fleet at Gatwick was high.

In response to an enquiry by The Royal Gazette, British Airways issued a statement through its New York office. It said: “We are committed to the Bermuda market and operate a year-round service between Bermuda and London.

“Our aircraft are deployed on a rotational basis — they aren’t dedicated to one route — so our 777 fleet at Gatwick is in high demand.

“We have operated just under 99 per cent of our Bermuda services this year, and while there have been some delays of late, we would never operate a flight unless it was safe to do so.”

The public’s perception of reliability on the route has been dented by a concentrated series of cancellations and delays during the past three months.

Last month four flights, two in either direction, between the Island and Gatwick were cancelled, while a further flight from Bermuda to Gatwick was delayed for a day because of a defective weather radar component on the plane.

In June, disruptions included three days when the service took a longer journey, flying over Greenland and skirting Iceland, due to a fault on the aircraft which meant it was not permitted to fly on a route that would take it more than 60 minutes away from the nearest accessible airport.

A cancellation of the service on June 25, due to the aircraft being damaged by a catering vehicle at Gatwick, presented problems for some of the Bermuda athletes heading to the NatWest Island Games in Jersey.

On April 17 the Bermuda to Gatwick flight did not depart until 1am the next day, while passengers on the scheduled April 18 flight endured an even longer delay as the aircraft did not depart until just after 11am the following day.

Not counting the multi-day cancellations caused as a result of Hurricane Gonzalo in October, The Royal Gazette has managed to trace 14 cancellations, seven in each direction, on the route during 2014. Of those, on four days the reason for the missed flights was given as either a technical, mechanical or an engine issue.

Some frustrated passengers have spoken out about the disruptions.

In June, Bermuda resident Sarah Felix was affected by the longer flight route taken. At the time she told The Royal Gazette: “Once, there was a guarantee the flight from London to Bermuda would be on time without delay. Now, week after week, you hear of cancellations and mechanical delay.”

Another passenger, Nigel Mortimer, in an open letter to British Airways that was published in this newspaper on July 25, wrote: “The scale of delays and cancellations of BA 2233/2 have reached a point where the people of Bermuda, our business visitors and our vital tourists are nervous using your service.”

And speaking after the most recent delays, Lawrence Scott, the Shadow Minister of Transport, said the Island should be seeking more competition on the Bermuda-UK route.

“When companies compete, the consumer always wins. We did notice when Zoom was introduced into the London market the prices went down and BA’s reliability and quality went up,” he said.

“Maybe it is time for the Government to look at users as the catalyst in which to actively and aggressively look into implementing competition or finding suitable competition that best complements our tourism product.”

A number of online commentators have also expressed displeasure at flight disruptions and debated whether there should be greater competition on the route.

In its statement, British Airways said: “We apologise to customers who have been affected by the flight delays; we always do everything we can to get them to their destination as quickly as possible.”

Passengers affected by lengthy delays or cancellations can, in some circumstances, apply for compensation.

Under European regulation 261/2004, passengers with confirmed reservations who are affected by delays on British Airways’ Bermuda-Gatwick route are entitled to compensation on a sliding scale depending on the length of delay they experience. The top level of compensation is 600 euros ($657).

The regulation does not apply where the cancellation or delay is caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not be avoided by reasonable measures. Other conditions apply when the airline notifies a passenger at least one week in advance of a cancellation and offers them alternative arrangements.