British Airways (UK) to base the first of its 32 B787-10s on order at London Gatwick in 2029

British Airways to base the first of its 32 B787-10s on order at London Gatwick in 2029, starting the replacement of its existing B777-200 fleet.

Aviator

FLEET / ORDER - IAG announces Airbus and Boeing-orders

During the presentation of its Q1-2025 financial results, the International Airlines Group, IAG, announced it has placed orders for 71 new widebody aircraft with both Airbus and Boeing.

For British Airways, the Group firmed-up options for six A350-1000s and six B777-9s. It has also placed new orders for 32 B787-10s, with options on another ten.

For Iberia, IAG firmed-up options for six A350-900s.

A new type ordered by IAG is the A330-900. A total of 21 have been ordered, with options for another thirteen. IAG said it can deploy these new widebodies with Aer Lingus, Iberia and/or LEVEL.

Deliveries of the new aircraft is set to begin in 2026 and will continue until 2033.

Photos: Duncan Stewart - LAX

 

ROUTES - BRITISH AIRWAYS EXPANDS A380 JOHANNESBURG SERVICE FROM JUNE 2025

British Airways in Northern summer 2025 season plans capacity increase on London Heathrow – Johannesburg route, with the addition of 2nd daily A380 service. From 01JUN25 (London departure), BA057/056 service to be operated by the A380, instead of 777-300ER.




BA055 LHR1905 – 0715+1JNB 388 D

BA057 LHR2125 – 0925+1JNB 388 D




BA056 JNB1920 – 0530+1LHR 388 D

BA054 JNB2105 – 0725+1LHR 388 D

IAG orders B737MAX

The International Airlines Group -IAG, the owner of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, LEVEL and Vueling has announced it has ordered the Boeing B737MAX. In total, the airline group ordered 25 B737-8200s and 25 B737-10s and took options on 100 additional aircraft. According to IAG's press-release, the MAXs will be delivered between 2023 and 2027 and could be used by any airline in the Group for fleet replacement.

This MAX-order concludes a new tender IAG has been running since September 2021. It isn't, however, the first time IAG ordered the MAX as it signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Boeing during the Paris Air Show in 2019 for 200 MAXs. This LoI was never firmed and resulted in a new narrowbody aircraft tender last year.

Photo by Boeing.

BRITISH AIRWAYS PUTS SUSTAINABILITY AT ITS HEART WITH NEW BA BETTER WORLD SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMME AND AIRCRAFT LIVERY PLUS A COLLABORATION WITH BP TO SOURCE SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL DURING THE UK’S COP26 CONFERENCE

                             

British Airways has launched its new BA Better World sustainability programme, describing it as its ‘most important journey yet’

· The airline partnered with Airbus to paint one of its most modern, fuel- efficient A320neos in its new sustainability programme colours

· British Airways also announced a new collaboration with bp to source sustainable aviation fuel in respect of all its flights between London, Glasgow and Edinburgh during the UK COP26 conference, providing a lifecycle carbon reduction of up to 80% compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces

· From today, British Airways customers will be able to purchase sustainable aviation fuel to reduce their carbon footprint in combination with carbon offsets

British Airways has launched its new BA Better World sustainability programme, describing it as its ‘most important journey yet’
The airline partnered with Airbus to paint one of its most modern, fuel-efficient A320neos in its new sustainability programme colours

British Airways also announced a new collaboration with bp to source sustainable aviation fuel in respect of all its flights between London, Glasgow and Edinburgh during the UK COP26 conference, providing a lifecycle carbon reduction of up to 80% compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces

From today, British Airways customers will be able to purchase sustainable aviation fuel to reduce their carbon footprint in combination with carbon offsets

British Airways has today launched BA Better World, its new sustainability programme.

The airline said this marked a further commitment to put sustainability at the heart of its business, from reducing emissions and waste and positively contributing to the communities it serves, to creating a great place for people to work in order to build a resilient, responsible business.

At an event at British Airways’ Heathrow engineering base this morning the airline unveiled a new look

for one of its most fuel-efficient short-haul aircraft, an A320neo, which it has painted in its new BA Better World sustainability colours as part of a partnership with aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

British Airways has long been leading the aviation industry’s efforts to decarbonise. In 1992 it was the first airline to report its carbon footprint. In 2002 it became the first airline to participate in UK emissions trading. In 2019 British Airways’ parent company IAG became the first airline group in the world to commit to net zero CO2 emissions by 2050, and last year British Airways became the first major airline to voluntarily offset all emissions from its domestic flights.

After unveiling the new aircraft livery, British Airways announced a collaboration with bp, committing to source sustainable aviation fuel with respect to all its flights between London, Glasgow and Edinburgh during the UK’s COP26 climate change summit being held in Glasgow later this year*. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is blended with traditional jet fuel to comply with aviation fuel certification standards. The SAF sourced for the COP26 period provides a lifecycle carbon reduction of up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel. **

In a UK first, British Airways also announced that from today its customers can purchase sustainable aviation fuel to reduce their carbon footprint via its not-for-profit organisation Pure Leapfrog***. This is in addition to the existing option for customers to offset their emissions.

The collaboration with bp forms part of British Airways’ long-term commitment to the development and use of sustainable aviation fuel. The airline’s parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), is investing $400m over the next 20 years into the development of SAF, with British Airways forming partnerships with a number of technology and fuel companies to develop SAF plants and purchase the fuel, including with Velocys in the UK and LanzaJet in the US. British Airways, as part of an IAG commitment, recently stated it would power 10 per cent of its fuel needs with SAF by 2030.

Speaking at the event, British Airways CEO and Chairman Sean Doyle said:

“With BA Better World we’re on our most important journey yet - to a better, more sustainable future and one which will ensure the long-term success of our business. We’re clear that we have a responsibility to reduce our impact on the planet and have a detailed plan to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, including investing in more fuel-efficient aircraft, improving our operational efficiency and investing in the development of sustainable aviation fuel and zero emissions aircraft.

“It is only through working in partnership with Government and industry that we’ll be able to reach our targets and I’m delighted that, thanks to our new collaboration with bp, we’re able to source enough sustainable aviation fuel with respect to all our flights between London, Glasgow and Edinburgh during COP26, substantially reducing the emissions associated with taking our customers to and from COP26 by up to 80% compared to traditional jet fuel. This commitment for COP26 is in addition to the mandatory carbon trading we already operate in the UK and our own further voluntary carbon offsetting of our UK domestic flights.”

Martin Thomsen, CEO of bp’s aviation division commented:

“We're thrilled to collaborate with British Airways by supplying sustainable aviation fuel with respect to all of its flights from London to Glasgow and Edinburgh for the COP26 event. Our companies have a long-standing relationship and will continue to work together on sustainable aviation fuel supply initiatives on an on-going basis.

“At bp we want to help decarbonize the aviation industry and we will continue to collaborate with industry stakeholders and governments to explore viable options to help scale up sustainable aviation
fuel more broadly.”


Many of the flights between London, Glasgow and Edinburgh during COP26 will be operated by the airline’s new BA Better World aircraft, an Airbus A320neo.

Julie Kitcher, Executive Vice President Corporate Affairs and Communications at Airbus, and a member of the UK Government’s Jet Zero Council said:

“We’re delighted British Airways has chosen one of its A320neos to spread the word that sustainability is a priority. The aircraft has 20% less fuel burn & CO2 emissions compared to A320ceo and 50% less noise, so it's a perfect choice. I can’t wait to see the new livery in the sky.

“Like Airbus, British Airways is committed to a sustainable future and contributing positively to climate change mitigation and adaptation. If we are to achieve the ambition of a net zero carbon emissions industry by 2050 it’s vital the entire industry works together. Initiatives like this show there is already a strong foundation of collaboration to build on and tangible examples of results already being delivered."

At today’s event the airline showcased some of the initiatives it has introduced to improve sustainability in the air and on the ground, including switching from diesel to renewably powered electric pushback vehicles and removing weight from its aircraft by introducing lighter seats and trollies, inflight magazines and paper flight manuals. It also outlined its efforts to remove single-use plastic and source more products made from recycled materials, including its First Class duvet and World Traveller Plus amenity kits.

The airline’s new sustainability strategy is not simply focused on the planet, with two further priorities concentrated on its people and driving responsible business. Today the carrier also announced a new BA Better World Community Fund to further the positive work it does within the UK and global communities it flies to and pledged to take positive action in many other areas of its business.

ENDS
Notes to Editors

* British Airways has purchased SAF with respect to all its flights between London City, Gatwick and Heathrow airports and Glasgow and Edinburgh. The fuel will be mixed with traditional jet fuel and blended to meet requisite certification requirements. In the case of the fuel bought for COP26 flights, British Airways has sourced the equivalent amount of SAF to attribute 100% of it for such flights

** This is because the emissions produced from SAF release carbon that has previously already been released into the atmosphere, unlike emissions produced from traditional jet fuel, which release carbon previously locked under the ground

***Customers can now reduce their carbon footprint by purchasing a combination of the benefit of sustainable aviation fuel and carbon reduction projects to reduce their impact on the environment.

British Airways’ sustainability factsheet can be found here
British Airways BA Better World pages on ba.com can be found here


More detail on British Airways’ partnerships to develop sustainable aviation fuel which have received Government funding can be found here

More details on our partnership with LanzaJet to develop and offtake SAF can be found here

More details on our partnership with Velocys to develop and offtake SAF can be found here More details on British Airways’ partnership with ZeroAvia to develop zero emissions aircraft can be found here
More details on British Airways offsetting scheme can be found here

For more details, please contact the British Airways press office, at press.office@ba.com

British Airways still sees a future for the A380

The CEO of British Airways has said to The Independent the airline still sees a future role for the Airbus A380 in its fleet. "The A380 isn't flying at the minute but it is in our plans for the future rebuild of the airline. Exactly when we will put the A380 back into service is something that we’re not clear on," the CEO said to the newspaper.

When the A380 is due to return to service hasn't been decided yet and could take a while as British Airways doesn't expect passenger-demand to return to pre-Covid levels before 2023-2024.

The airline has a fleet of twelve A380s and the whereabouts of these are:

G-XLEA (095) is stored at Teruel
G-XLEB (121) is stored at Teruel
G-XLEC (124) is stored at Teruel
G-XLED (144) is stored at Doha
G-XLEE (148) is stored at Doha
G-XLEF (151) is stored at Madrid-Barajas
G-XLEG (161) is stored at Madrid-Barajas
G-XLEH (163) is stored at Madrid-Barajas
G-XLEI (173) is stored at Madrid-Barajas
G-XLEJ (192) is stored at Doha
G-XLEK (194) is stored at Madrid-Barajas
G-XLEL (215) is stored at Madrid-Barajas

The A380s at Teruel and Doha are in deep-storage, whilst the ones at Madrid-Barajas have been ferried to and from London-Heathrow in the last month for maintenance.

Photo by Duncan Stewart - LAZ

 

British Airways Says It Will Take Its First Boeing 777X In 2024

The Boeing 777X is set to be the next new aircraft to hit the US manufacturer’s product catalog.
However, its launch has been anything but smooth.
Boeing was due to deliver the first aircraft last year, but delays to the program have caused this to slip several times.
Now the first delivery is planned for late 2023.
IAG reconfirms Boeing 777X delivery timeline British Airways had been expecting its first 777X aircraft next year under the original delivery timeline. Despite several delays to the program, the airline refused to comment on any delay in the delivery of its Boeing jets. However, this all changed today.Buried deep in a 91 page PDF containing British Airways’ owner’s, IAG, financial results, the group outlined its new 777X delivery timeline.
As things stand, British Airways has 18 orders for the larger -9 variant of the aircraft.
While not elaborating on how many would be delivered each year, IAG confirmed that BA would take its 18 planes in the four years from and including 2024 to 2027.

While British Airways has 18 firm orders for the 777-9, it also has 24 options for the type.
This means that if all of the airline’s options are taken up, the airline would have a total of 42 Boeing 777X aircraft.

Simple flying

First Boeing 747 leaves British Airways fleet

British Airways will today retire the first of its Boeing 747 aircraft.
The flag-carrier confirmed last month the fleet of 31 planes would fly their last commercial services in the coming weeks, as the airline seeks to cut costs.
The Boeing 747-400, registration G-CIVD, will depart from London Heathrow this morning under flight number BA9170E after more than 25 years of flying.
British Airways’ fleet of 747s are being retired at an accelerated rate as a result of the devastating impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the airline and the aviation sector, which is not predicted to recover to 2019 levels until at least 2024.

Al Bridger, British Airways’ director of flight operations, said: “All of us at British Airways and so many of our customers will have fond memories and special moments from our travels on the iconic jumbo jet.
“As a pilot who was lucky enough to fly the aircraft, the sheer scale of it was unforgettable, you literally looked down on other aircraft.
“It changed aviation forever when it arrived in the skies and I know I speak for our customers and the global aviation community when I say, despite rightly moving to more sustainable ways of flying, we will still miss the 747 dearly.”
The plane made its last flight to Lagos as part of the Covid-19 repatriation efforts in April.
The 747 has been an iconic part of British Airways’ fleet for nearly fifty years.
At one point the airline operated 57 of the aircraft, with the jumbo jet’s first flight to New York in 1971.

British Airways to add B787-10s from early 1Q20

British Airways (BA, London Heathrow) has revealed that it will take delivery of its first B787-10 in January 2020, registered as G-ZBLA, and that it will use the new type to fly between London Heathrow and Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson initially.

The four-class aircraft will feature a configuration of eight seats in First Class, 48 seats in its business class Club World cabin, 35 seats in the premium economy World Traveller Plus cabin, and 165 seats in the World Traveller cabin.

Alex Cruz, British Airways Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said: “The delivery of our first B787-10 aircraft marks another significant milestone in our GBP6.5billion customer investment plan. The aircraft delivers a 25 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the aircraft it replaces, another step towards our commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. It will also offer greater comfort for our customers, as it features our latest generation seats in all cabins.”

The IAG International Airlines Group carrier will take delivery of twelve 787-10s from Boeing, with six arriving next year. British Airways currently has twelve B787-8s and sixteen B787-9s aircraft in its fleet.

Flight BA227 to Atlanta is presently flown daily from Heathrow either by the carrier's B777-200 or B787-9 aircraft.
ch aviation

British Airways adds leased Evelop A330 aircraft in W19

British Airways in last week’s schedule update filed London Gatwick – New York JFK service for winter 2019/20. From 27OCT19 to 12JAN20, this route will be once again served by leased aircraft, with Evelop Airlines A330-300 operating, instead of Boeing 777-200ER.

Evelop A330 service is offered with Business and Economy Class cabin only (J30M255).

BA2273 LGW1645 – 1955JFK 333 x5
BA2273 LGW1655 – 2005JFK 333 5

BA2272 JFK2200 – 0950+1LGW 333 x357
BA2272 JFK2205 – 0955+1LGW 333 5
BA2272 JFK2210 – 1000+1LGW 333 57

British Airways takes delivery of its first A350-1000

British Airways (BA) has taken delivery of its first A350-1000 at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France, making it the first operator of the larger A350-1000 in International Airlines Group (IAG). In total, BA has ordered 18 A350-1000s. Iberia, which is also part of IAG, already operates five of the smaller A350-900s.

BA’s A350 XWB with its modern and comfortable Airspace cabin will usher in new levels of comfort with the launch of the Club Suite, the first new business class seat for British Airways in 13 years. The airline's sophisticated and newly-branded “Club Suite” offers direct-aisle access, a suite door for greater privacy and luxurious flat-bed seats in a 1-2-1 configuration.

The three-class layout includes 56 Club Suites, 56 World Traveller Plus and 219 World Traveller economy seats.

BA, celebrating its 100th anniversary, will initially use the aircraft to fly between London and Madrid prior to flying long-haul routes from September.

BA operates a fleet of over 150 Airbus aircraft from the smallest A318 to the largest A380.

The A350 XWB offers by design unrivalled operational flexibility and efficiency for all market segments up to ultra-long haul (15,000 km). It features the latest aerodynamic design, a carbon fibre fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce engines. Together, these latest technologies translate into unrivalled levels of operational efficiency, with a 25% reduction in fuel burn and emissions. The A350 XWB’s Airspace by Airbus cabin is the quietest of any twin-aisle and offers passengers and crews the most modern in-flight products for the most comfortable flying experience.

At the end of June 2019, the A350 XWB Family had received 893 firm orders from 51 customers worldwide, making it one of the most successful wide-body aircraft ever.

BRITISH AIRWAYS - A350-1000 - F-WZFH msn 326

Alain Charpentier - TLS

British Airways to retire B777-200s by YE20

British Airways (BA, London Heathrow) will retire its three remaining B777-200s by the end of 2020, ch-aviation has learned.

The three Boeing widebodies, G-ZZZA (msn 27105), G-ZZZB (msn 27106), and G-ZZZC (msn 27107), are currently scheduled for a phase-out in September or October 2020. All three units are 24-year-old aircraft owned by British Airways and operated by the carrier throughout their life span. Each of the aircraft accumulated over 95,000 flight hours and around 20,000 flight cycles as of April 30, 2019, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows.

The B777-200s are used by British Airways mainly on services out of London Heathrow to the US East Coast (New York JFK and Boston) and the Middle East (Dubai Int'l and Bahrain Int'l).

In terms of its B777 fleet, British Airways also operates forty-three B777-200(ER)s and twelve B777-300(ER)s.

Separately, the carrier is looking at adding more second-hand A380-800s. IAG International Airlines Group CEO Willie Walsh told aeroTELEGRAPH that the group "would definitely think about it".

"If we get them for the right price. The biggest problem is the cost of refurbishment, which is quite high. We have to be sure that we can do it in ways that make it worthwhile, and then it will be a topic. We currently have twelve A380s in British Airways' fleet and I can imagine eighteen. Six more Airbus A380s would make sense," Walsh said.

The carrier's twelve A380-800s are 5.2 years old on average. Walsh underlined that the group is not looking at adding the A380s for any other airline.

Besides the B777s and the A380s, British Airways' widebody fleet also includes thirty-four B747-400s, twelve B787-8s, and seventeen B787-9s. The carrier also has eighteen A350-1000s, eighteen B777-9s, and twelve B787-10s on order.
ch aviation
FPP - LHR

BRITISH AIRWAYS - A319-100 - G-EUPJ

Ton Jochems - AMS

British Airways outlines A350-1000XWB long-haul service from Oct 2019

British Airways today (18MAR19) announced planned long-haul service with its new Airbus A350-1000XWB aircraft, with configuration of J56W56Y219. For Long-haul routes, the A350 will enter service by October 2019. Short-Haul service will initially be served by mid-Summer.

London Heathrow – Dubai eff 08OCT19 BA107/106

London Heathrow – Toronto eff 01OCT19 BA93/92
Current schedule listing for A350-1000XWB is effective until 26OCT19 inclusive.
By Jim Liu

British Airways extends Air Belgium A340 operations into mid-August 2019

British Airways in last week’s schedule update extended leased Air Belgium A340 service operation into mid-Summer 2019. As of 15MAR19, planned A340 operation as follows.
31MAR19 – 08JUN19 London Heathrow – Newark BA185/184
09JUN19 – 17AUG19 London Heathrow – Toronto BA093/092
By Jim Liu

BA’s original Negus scheme set for final 747 retrojet

British Airways has confirmed speculation around its fourth and final retro-livery, revealing that a Boeing 747-400 will be painted in the airline’s original red, white and blue Negus design dating from 1973.

The 747-400 (G-CIVB) is currently at Dublin for painting into the first version of the Negus livery featuring full “British airways” titles, which was employed until 1980. This scheme was adopted directly after BA was created following the merger of BOAC and BEA in 1973. A later version of the scheme used “British” titles before the Landor rebrand in 1984.

British Airways

The repainted 747 will enter service later this month from Heathrow on BA’s long-haul network and the scheme will remain on G-CIVB until it retires in 2022.

The Negus scheme, named after the Negus & Negus creative agency run by Dick Negus and his wife Pam, joins four other heritage liveries that BA has introduced this year to mark its centenary. These comprise 747-400s in BOAC and Landor schemes, and an Airbus A319 painted in the BEA “Red Square” livery.
“It’s particularly significant for us because Negus is the first design worn by the British Airways that we all know today, with the distinctive lower case ‘a’ and the Union Flag on the tailfin,” says Alex Cruz, British Airways’ chairman and chief executive.

14 MARCH, 2019 SOURCE: FLIGHTGLOBAL.COM BY: MAX KINGSLEY-JONES LONDON 

BRITISH AIRWAYS / BOAC Retro Livery B747-436 (G-BYGC)

hsckcwong - LAX, USA

BRITISH AIRWAYS - A319-100 - G-EUPJ

Boeing Signs Deal for Up to 42 777X Airplanes with International Airlines Group

IAG's British Airways picks the 777X to modernize a major part of its long-haul fleet


777X builds on 777 and 787 Dreamliner technology; will be world's largest, most efficient twin-aisle jet

LONDON, Feb. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways, announced the airline has committed to purchasing up to 42 777X airplanes, including 18 orders and 24 options. The airline joins a group of leading carriers that have selected the new 777-9, which will debut next month as the largest and most efficient twin-engine passenger jet in the world.

The commitment, valued at up to $18.6 billion at list prices, will be reflected on Boeing's Orders and Deliveries website once it is finalized.

"The new 777-9 is the world's most fuel efficient longhaul aircraft and will bring many benefits to British Airways' fleet. It's the ideal replacement for the 747 and its size and range will be an excellent fit for the airline's existing network," said Willie Walsh, IAG chief executive. "This aircraft will provide further cost efficiencies and environmental benefits with fuel cost per seat improvements of 30 per cent compared to the 747. It also provides an enhanced passenger experience."

British Airways has been modernizing its fleet – one of the largest in the airline industry – to more efficiently serve its extensive global route network. In recent years, the airline has introduced the super-efficient 787 Dreamliner family to replace its medium-sized widebody jets. The new 777-9 will replace British Airways' larger widebody airplanes, mainly the four-engine 747 jumbo jet.

In ordering the 777-9, British Airways extends a long-running relationship with the popular 777 family. The airline is one of the largest 777 operators with a fleet of nearly 60 of the long-range jet. The airline last year committed to four more 777-300ER (Extended Range) jets via operating lease.

The 777-9 is larger and has a slightly wider cabin than current 777s, which provides the ability to comfortably sit 400-425 passengers in a standard two-class cabin. Powered by 787 Dreamliner technologies, an all-new composite wing, and other enhancements, the 777-9 offers airlines 12 percent lower fuel consumption than competing airplanes. The 777-9 can also fly farther than its predecessors with a standard range of 7,600 nautical miles (14,075 kilometers).

The 777X will also debut a redesigned cabin that incorporates popular 787 features and new technologies. Recently unveiled online, the 777X interior offers larger windows, a wider cabin, new lighting, while providing passengers with a smoother ride, better cabin altitude, humidity, and sound quality.

"British Airways is one of the most iconic international carriers, now in its 100th year of connecting the world with its impressive route network. We are honored that British Airways has selected the 777X as part of its fleet for its next century. Together with the 787 Dreamliner, we are excited for the 777X to help British Airways build on its incredible legacy," said Kevin McAllister, president & CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The 777-9, in particular, simply has no competitor in its class when it comes to efficiency and performance. It is the right-sized airplane for British Airways to efficiently serve long-range routes with heavy passenger demand."

The selection by IAG and British Airways puts the 777X at 358 orders and commitments from eight customers. Production of the 777X began in 2017, with first flight planned for this year and first delivery expected in 2020.