BA takes off with Open Skies
LONDON – British Airways will launch its new US-EU subsidiary airline, OpenSkies, with daily flights from New York to Brussels and Paris in June.
It will start with one Boeing 757 aircraft that will operate from New York to either Brussels or Paris Charles de Gaulle airports. A second aircraft will be added to the fleet later this year.
BA plans to operate six 757s by the end of 2009, all of which will be sourced from its current fleet.
The aircraft will offer three onboard cabins: business, premium economy and economy.
The OpenSkies business class cabin has 24 seats that convert into 6-foot flat beds. There will be 28 premium economy seats with a 52-inch seat pitch, and 30 economy seats.
BA chief executive Willie Walsh said, “By naming the airline OpenSkies, we’re celebrating the first major step in 60 years towards a liberalised US/EU aviation market which means we can fly between any US and EU destination.
“It also signals our determination to lobby for further liberalisation in this market when talks between the EU and US take place later this year.”
Dale Moss, BA’s former director of worldwide sales, will be managing director of OpenSkies.
Meanwhile, British Airways is to start flights from Heathrow to the Indian city of Hyderabad from October 27, 2008. There will be five flights each week on a Boeing 777 aircraft.
The airline already flies to Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.
By Bev Fearis
Ian Jarrett
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