DATA SPOTLIGHT: British Airways

22 September, 2020

This year the Corporate Travel Community (CTC) will feature some of the leading airlines, airports and country markets for air travel. Here, using the extensive profile insights available to CAPA - Centre for Aviation members to deliver a data snapshot at where they sit today in the Covid-19 impacted world, we look at British Airways, where reduced passenger demand means it has chosen to extend its short-haul services suspension at London Gatwick Airport through the winter 2020/2021 season.

The airline's chairman and CEO Alex Cruz revealed last week that the carrier is "still fighting for our own survival" and that this is "the worst crisis that British Airways has gone through in its 100 years of history". Mr Cruz said the carrier does not expect passengers to return in the short term, with "all the feedback we get ... is still pointing at a slow recovery process" and issued concern with the carrier's winter schedule. Mr Cruz said passengers are "still afraid of travelling" and there is no resolution to coronavirus testing.

His comments that the UK airline "cannot find much data or information to support optimism" and that in fact, there "is lots of information that shows this will be a very long recovery process" is not a positive outlook for the already embattled industry. British Airways is operating a flight schedule that is around a quarter to a third of its normal scale, and passenger levels are down to less than a fifth of those it had seen at the same time last year.

Mr Cruz noted that in the immediate aftermath of the 2009 global financial crisis (GFC), British Airways lost GBP309 million. For comparison, in the second quarter of this year, the first full quarter of trading during the pandemic it lost GBP711 million and is currently bleeding an average of around GBP20 million every day.

Keeping a control on costs is a major reason behind the decision to extend the London Gatwick short haul service suspension, previously scheduled to resume on 08/09-Nov-2020, to 27-Mar-2021. This will see a number of predominantly European leisure markets previously served from Gatwick continuing to be served from its Heathrow hub.

ABOUT
British Airways (BA) is the national carrier of the United Kingdom, a subsidiary of publicly-listed International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG). BA's extensive network, including that of affiliate airline partners SUN-AIR and Comair (South Africa), includes services to Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia. Using a fleet of wide and narrow-bodied aircraft, the carrier operates freight and passenger services from it's three London hubs - Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport and London City Airport. BA is a founding member of the oneworld alliance.

NOTE
BA also has a wholly-owned subsidiary of British Airways, BA CityFlyer, which operates a network of UK domestic and European services from London City Airport. The airline's fleet comprises Embraer E170 and E190 equipment.

GLOBAL RANKING (as at 21-Sep-2020)

NETWORK MAP (as at 21-Sep-2020)

DESTINATIONS (as at 21-Sep-2020)

CAPACITY SNAPSHOT (versus same week last year)

ANNUAL PASSENGER TRAFFIC (2010-2020YTD)

ANNUAL CAPACITY (2012-2020*)(NOTE:The values for this year are at least partly predictive up to 6 months and may be subject to change)

WEEKLY DOMESTIC CAPACITY (2017 - 2020*)(NOTE:The values for this year are at least partly predictive up to 6 months and may be subject to change)

WEEKLY INTERNATIONAL CAPACITY (2017 - 2020*)(NOTE:The values for this year are at least partly predictive up to 6 months and may be subject to change)