British Airways is planning to add up to 10 new destinations in China, but will wait for the delivery of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners to launch the new services.
Willie Walsh, CEO of the International Airlines Group (IAG) was reported saying in Beijing this week that BA will focus on the expansion of its long-haul routes, especially to China, in the next three to five years.
“The airline will show in more cities in China in the future,” the state-run China Daily newspaper reported Walsh saying at the World Air Transport Summit, taking place in the Chinese capital this week.
BA currently operates 13 weekly flights between London and two Chinese destinations — Beijing and Shanghai. Other European airlines however, notably Air France-KLM and Lufthansa, already have considerably stronger presence in China than BA, flying to fast-growing metropolises such as Guangzhou, Wuhan, Xiamen, Qingdao, Shenyang and Hangzhou. Walsh said in a previous interview that IAG has a list of 10 potential Chinese destinations it is considering.
BA is being forced to wait for the delivery of its B787 Dreamliners however, as the new fuel-efficient aircraft would make the new long-haul routes more economically viable. BA has ordered 24 Dreamliners, the first of which is due to be delivered in 2013.
Walsh added that the Chinese routes formed part of a broader long-haul expansion strategy, made possible by the Heathrow slots acquired from its purchase of bmi.
“The purchase of BMI gave us the opportunity to have more slots and we will use them for long-haul routes,” Walsh said.
