Paris base for BA's new OpenSkies airline
IN an interesting move, British Airways (BA) is to go head-to-head with Air France when it launches flights from Brussels and Paris to New York.
BA is to start a new subsidiary airline called OpenSkies, in recognition of last year's agreement between Europe and America which tore down restrictions on the flights available across the Atlantic.
The airline will launch in June 2008 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 to fly to the other EU destination. The plan is to operate six 757s by the end of 2009, all of which will be sourced from the current British Airways' fleet.
It is still not clear which airport in New York the BA service will operate to, it could fly to John F. Kennedy airport or Newark in New Jersey, and the move comes as Air France looks to take over Alitalia and other airlines such as Virgin and BMI appear to be jockeying for position as the skies across the Atlantic open up.
British Airways' chief executive Willie Walsh said: "This is an exciting new venture for us and we're confident that it will be a great success as we build on the strength of British Airways' brand in the US and Europe.
"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."
More details can be found at www.flyopenskies.com and there is even a blog (more on the blog from Neville Hobson).
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