British Airways is looking to further expand its transatlantic network with new routes in both North and South America.
BA last October added Las Vegas as its first new US gateway in several years, and is now preparing to launch service to Cancun in November. BA director of strategy Robert Boyle says the carrier is now looking at potential new routes in the US as well as Latin America.
"Obviously markets are recovering," Boyle told the Airline Business Daily after speaking at yesterday's Global Aviation Strategy Summit. "We're looking to put capacity back in" after cutting capacity in 2009.
Boyle says the search for new routes in the Americas is being done jointly with its transatlantic partners Iberia and American Airlines. The three carriers along with Finnair and Royal Jordanian secured anti-trust immunity on transatlantic routes in July. Boyle says the tie-up "will really drive additional traffic", making it possible to launch new transatlantic routes which previously were not viable.
Boyle says while Latin America will primarily be served from Iberia's Madrid hub that does not preclude BA from also adding Latin markets from London Heathrow. "BA is relatively underserved in Latin America," Boyle says, adding it is important for BA to stay competitive in markets which have non-stop London-Latin America service.
Source: Flight Daily News
