AIRLINE HISTORY

Airline History

BA History

When and where the company was founded

British Airways was founded as Aircraft Transport and Travel. After World War I, the company launched its first daily international scheduled air service between London and Paris. Following a UK government review in 1939, British Airways and its competitor, Imperial Airways, were nationalized to form British Overseas Airways (BOAC). BOAC carried on operating long haul services, whereas continental European and domestic flights were flown by a new airline, British European Airways (BEA). BOAC introduced its services to New York in 1946, followed by Japan in 1948, Chicago in 1954 and the west coast of the US in 1957. BEA also developed a domestic network in the UK, including Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester during this time. BEA established a charter airline, BEA Airtours in 1970. In 1972, the businesses of BOAC and BEA were combined under the newly formed British Airways Board, with both the airlines coming together as British Airways in 1974.

Who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company and what experience does he/she have in the airline industry

Mr.Walsh has been the Chief Executive at British Airways since 2005. He is an honorary Board Member of Flight Safety International. Mr.Walsh is the Branch President of the Heathrow Branch at the Royal Aeronautical Society. He is an honorary Member of The Aviation Club and a member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK) (theacademyofbusinessstrategy-managementstrategy.com).

Where the company is based and what routes are flown

The new airline launched its first supersonic passenger service in conjunction with Air France in 1976. In 1987, British Airways was privatized and announced a merger with British Caledonian.The company formed British Airways CitiExpress in 2002 by combining two wholly owned subsidiaries, British Regional Airlines and Brymon Airways. British Airways also merged the operations of ...