Not to be left behind in the frenzy for new aircraft orders, today British Airways ordered $8.2 billion (at list prices, airlines always get discounts) of new aircraft: 12 orders and 7 options for the Airbus A380 and 24 orders and 18 options for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Rolls Royce engines will power both aircraft. These aircraft will replace some of BA's 57 Boeing 747-400's and all of BA's 20 Boeing 767's. BA Chairman Willie Walsh and TV news reports indicate that British Airways will operate the A380 from London-Heathrow to LAX. Other high-density British Airways routes from London likely to see service with the A380 include New York, San Francisco, Singapore, Hong Kong and Johannesburg. According to the BA press release, the 787 Dreamliner "will be used to start new routes and increase frequencies in existing markets." Deliveries of the new aircraft are expected between 2010 and 2014.
British Airways will now be at parity with Virgin Atlantic that has ordered 6 A380’s and 23 787's. British Airways competes with Virgin Atlantic, Air New Zealand, American Airlines and United Airlines on the LAX-London Heathrow route. Virgin Atlantic will begin A380 flights in 2013.
The BA A380 order could mean that there will be up to 14 daily A380 flights into LAX by 2014.
Press:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bapress/public/en_gb
http://www.airbus.com/en/presscentre/pressreleases/pressreleases_items/07_09_27_british_airways_12_a380.html
http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2007/q3/070927b_nr.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7015621.stm
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Sep27/0,4670,BritainBritishAirways,00.html
Video:
http://www.bloomberg.com
Thursday, September 27, 2007
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