British Airways is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom. The airline is based at London Heathrow Airport, the world's eight busiest airport based on passenger numbers in 2022. While the claim is disputed by some, the airline claims to be the world's oldest, tracing it's origins back to Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited, all the way back in 1919.
The carrier has a huge range of routes, both long-and-short-haul, and has an incredibly diverse fleet to match the sort of missions being undertaken. It was one of two airlines to operate the Concorde, alongside French rivals Air France.
History of British Airways
British Airways is a result of many mergers and takeover between UK airlines over the past century. In September 1939, one of the most well known of the mergers saw Imperial Airways merging with British Airways Limited to create BOAC. BOAC went on to merge with BEA in 1974 to create the British Airways that we know today. British Airways is one of the founding members of the International Airlines Group.
It's impossible to talk about the history of British Airways without talking about the Concorde. The airline was one of two to operate the fastest commercial aircraft, flying the aircraft between 1976 and its retirement in October 2003. British Airways was also synonymous with the Boeing 747, having operated the queen of the skies for over half a century before its early retirement.
British Airway's operations
British Airways operates flights across Europe and the globe using a varied fleet of aircraft. The airline's operations are split into three operators depending on the departure airport. London Heathrow flights are operated by British Airways itself, with the bulk of flights using the airport's youngest terminal, Terminal 5. Most of the airline's flights operate on a non-stop basis, with the exception of a few Caribbean islands, and the London Heathrow-Singapore-Sydney flight.
BA Cityflyer
BA Cityflyer was founding in March 2007, and operates the airline's flights out of London City Airport during the week, and a handful of routes from other UK airports during the weekend when City Airport is closed for 24 hours from Saturday to Sunday.
BA Euroflyer
BA Euroflyer was launched by British Airway in 2022, in a bid to cut the costs associated with short-haul operations from London Gatwick Airport. The airline is slowly ramping up to absorb all of BA's short-haul operations, aiming to boost profitability by cutting operating costs.
British Airways' fleet
While British Airways has operated the Boeing 737 in the past, and shown interest in the 737 MAX, the airline's short haul needs are currently met exclusively by the Airbus A320 family on the main fleet, and BA Euroflyer. Meanwhile, BA Cityflyer relies on a fleet of Embraer E190s. Things, however, couldn't be more different on the long-haul fleet, which operates a range of models from both Airbus and Boeing. (Numbers are sourced from ch-aviation and do not include aircraft leased from other carriers)
|
Aircraft |
British Airways |
BA Euroflyer |
BA Cityflyer |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Embraer E190 |
20 |
||
|
Airbus A319 |
30 |
||
|
Airbus A320 |
57 |
9 |
|
|
Airbus A320neo |
20 |
||
|
Airbus A321 |
9 |
6 |
|
|
Airbus A321neo |
10 |
||
|
Airbus A350-1000 |
16 |
||
|
Airbus A380 |
12 |
||
|
Boeing 777-200ER |
43 |
||
|
Boeing 777-300ER |
16 |
||
|
Boeing 787-8 |
12 |
||
|
Boeing 787-9 |
18 |
||
|
Boeing 787-10 |
7 |
||
|
Total |
250 |
15 |
20 |
