British Airways (BA)

British Airways (IATA: BA, ICAO: BAW) is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom and one of the largest airlines in Europe. Founded in 1974 through the merger of BOAC and BEA, the airline is headquartered in Harmondsworth, near London Heathrow Airport (LHR), and operates from its main hub at Heathrow, with a secondary hub at Gatwick Airport (LGW).

British Airways is a founding member of the oneworld alliance, which was established in 1999 together with American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and Canadian Airlines. The airline operates a diverse fleet of narrow-body and wide-body aircraft, including the Airbus A320 family, Boeing 777, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and Airbus A350. It is also one of the few airlines still operating the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747 (retired in 2020).

British Airways serves around 180 destinations across Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The airline is part of International Airlines Group (IAG), which also includes Iberia, Vueling, Aer Lingus, and LEVEL. In 2024, British Airways carried over 45 million passengers, maintaining its position as one of the world’s leading international carriers.

British Airways operates its main hubs at:

• London Heathrow Airport (LHR) — BA’s largest hub and one of the busiest airports in the world. Terminal 5 is exclusive to British Airways, while Terminal 3 handles most oneworld partner flights.
• London Gatwick Airport (LGW) — BA’s secondary hub, primarily for leisure routes and short-haul European flights. Operates from the North Terminal.

Additional focus cities include London City Airport (LCY), Manchester (MAN), and Edinburgh (EDI).

European routes include Paris (CDG), Amsterdam (AMS), Frankfurt (FRA), Madrid (MAD), Rome (FCO), Barcelona (BCN), Dublin (DUB), and Zurich (ZRH). North American routes include New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), Chicago (ORD), Miami (MIA), Boston (BOS), San Francisco (SFO), and Toronto (YYZ). Middle Eastern and Asian routes include Dubai (DXB), Doha (DOH), Singapore (SIN), Hong Kong (HKG), Tokyo (HND), and Mumbai (BOM). African routes include Johannesburg (JNB), Cape Town (CPT), Nairobi (NBO), and Lagos (LOS).