MAX KINGSLEY-JONES / LONDON HEATHROW
Flag carrier plans twice-daily fights to New York in April
British Airways aims to boost its operational fleet of Aerospatiale/BAe Concordes to five aircraft by the start of its 2002 summer schedules in April, to enable two daily flights between London and New York. The airline is reporting good demand for the service which restarted last month after a grounding which lasted more than a year following the crash of an Air France aircraft in July 2000.
So far, three of the airline's seven Concordes have been modified to comply with UK and French civil aviation authority requirements for the return of the airliner's certificate of airworthiness. Modification of a fourth aircraft is expected to be completed this year, according to British Airways Engineering technical & quality director Jim O'Sullivan, after which work on the fifth aircraft will start. Each modification takes around 10 weeks.
"The fourth aircraft will provide us with more operational robustness, and the fifth will enable us to offer a double daily service to New York," says O'Sullivan. The fourth aircraft may allow the airline to boost frequencies to Barbados, which is currently served once a week during the winter schedule.
Despite healthy load factors "in excess of 70%" on the daily New York service which restarted on 7 November, the decision to double frequencies will be taken early next year once a clearer picture of long-term demand is gained. O'Sullivan says the target is to introduce a second daily New York flight for the start of the summer schedules, adding that there are currently no plans to offer Concorde for charters.
The Kevlar fuel tank liners which represent the bulk of the modifications have added around 400kg (880lb) to the aircraft's weight, and also create around 400kg of unusable fuel volume, says O'Sullivan.
"We have saved weight with Michelin's lighter NZG tyres and will also benefit from the lighter interior of phase two of a cabin refit planned for next year."
Although BA has committed to restoring all seven Concordes to service, a timetable for the last two aircraft will not be finalised until demand has been established.
The current life extension programme will enable the fleet to remain operational until 2006-8, says O'Sullivan. "Within six months, we will decide whether to start the next life-extension plan allowing the aircraft to fly for five or six years beyond that," he says.
Source: Flight International
