British Airways sets up BA EuroFlyer for Gatwick ops

British Airways’ new London Gatwick-based short-haul subsidiary is called BA Euroflyer (BA, London Gatwick), according to UK documents of incorporation.

The new company – owned 75% or more by British Airways – was incorporated as a private limited company on November 10, 2010, with one Thomas David Stoddart listed as manager.

The registration of the business is a further step in the establishment of the new airline, which is expected to debut in March 2022, according to Luis Gallego, Chief Executive Officer of IAG International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways.

Following initial hiccups, British Airways managed to conclude an agreement with trade unions representing pilots and cabin crew last week. Talks with ground handlers are to be concluded soon, Gallego told Bloomberg TV.

In a note to staff last week, British Airways Chief Executive Officer Sean Doyle said: “Our plans for a new BA branded subsidiary to fly short-haul at Gatwick are progressing well, and whilst we still have some further negotiations to sort, it looks likely that we will be up and running to fly the summer schedule.”

As reported previously, British Airways brokered a deal over benefits with the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) and the Unite union, which represents more than 10,000 of the airline’s cabin crew as well as engineers and ground staff.

The new subsidiary will take over all of British Airways’ short-haul operations at Gatwick which have been consistently unprofitable.

British Airways has a similar set-up wherein BA CityFlyer (CJ, London City) handles its London City operations using a fleet of Embraer regional jets.