The airline operated 70 services in one day, with the first departure being to Gibraltar
Yesterday (May 17), a British Airways flight from Heathrow to Gibraltar took off making it the airline’s first journey to a ‘green list’ country since the easing of restrictions.
The carrier is operating a number of routes to other permitted destinations, including Lisbon, Faro and Funchal in Madeira. Currently, the airline has suspended flights to Tel Aviv.
Just 70 departures took place yesterday, compared with the hundreds operated on the same day in 2019, highlighting the severe impact the pandemic has had on the sector.
A virtual conference was held on Monday, in which CEO and chairman of British Airways, Sean Doyle and Heathrow’s CEO, John Holland-Kaye spoke.
Doyle said: “Today, the first day of a return to international travel, is a special day for many people, because for so long now families have been separated, business has suffered, and we know that our customers haven’t been able to take the breaks abroad that they’ve wanted. After more than a year of limited flying, we’re pleased to be back in the skies – albeit with a very small number of flights.”
There have been multiple changes to the way the carrier operates, including the introduction of travel apps, a virtual queuing system and pre-flight food ordering.
British Airways also recently launched a new advertising campaign that focusses on its employees and customers.
