We are one of the world’s leading scheduled international passenger airlines. Our principal place of business is Heathrow, one of the world’s premier airport locations, which serves a large geographical area with a comparatively high proportion of point-to-point business. We also operate a worldwide air cargo business, largely in conjunction with our scheduled passenger services. Operating one of the most extensive international scheduled airline route networks, with our codeshare and franchise partners, we fly to more than 300 destinations worldwide. In 2007/08, we carried more than 33 million passengers.
Our airline network generates economic value by meeting the demand for business travel, by providing vital arteries for trade and investment, as well as providing leisure travel opportunities for individuals and families. In 2007/08, we earned over £8.7 billion in revenue, 3.1 per cent up on the previous year. Passenger traffic accounted for 86.2 per cent of this revenue, while 7.0 per cent came from cargo and 6.8 per cent from other activities. We carried 805,000 tonnes of cargo to destinations in Europe, the Americas and throughout the world. At the end of March 2008, we had 245 aircraft in service, compared to 242 in March 2007.
Our fleet: 245 aircraft
British Airways orders 59 aircraft in the Airbus A320 family and 16 Boeing 777s.
British Airways opens its new World Cargo Centre.
British Airways completes a 9 per cent acquisition of Iberia.
Heathrow Terminal 5 is given the go-ahead by the UK Government.
British Airways becomes the world’s first airline to take part in a scheme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Concorde makes its last commercial flight.
British Airways becomes the first airline in the UK to enable passengers departing from Heathrow to print their own boarding passes online for selected flights.
A new voluntary scheme is launched to enable customers to offset the carbon dioxide emissions from their flights by making a contribution to an environmental trust.
British Airways unveils its next generation business class cabin, offering greater comfort, more space and storage.
British Airways places an order for 12 Airbus A380 aircraft and 24 Boeing 787 aircraft.
British Airways’ first flight from Terminal 5 departs to Paris on March 27, 2008.