British Airways set for fleet revamp

British Airways last month said it’s started a review of its long-haul fleet requirements for the next 15 years.

The review, announced at the airline’s shareholder meeting and expected to be complete within the next nine months, could lead to long-term orders. Currently British Airways has 110 long-haul airplanes—all made by Boeing—in its fleet.

The carrier’s review will provide one of the most exhaustive examinations to date of the competitiveness of new-generation aircraft being developed by Boeing and Airbus, the Financial Times said. These include the 555-seat Airbus A380 superjumbo, which is due to enter commercial service at the end of 2007.

According to the British newspaper The Independent, British Airways Chairman Martin Broughton said that while the A380 was “very much on BA’s radar screen,” it would like to wait until the airplane entered commercial service before deciding whether to place an order. “The jury is out on the A380,” he told shareholders. “None has yet been delivered; it is running late and needs more orders to make the program viable.”

British Airways’ options from Boeing included the midsize 787 Dreamliner, members of the 747 family and the 777-200LR, the world’s longest-range commercial jetliner, the Financial Times said. “These are all options on the table,” Broughton said.

According to the Financial Times, British Airways’ long-haul fleet includes 57 747-400s, 43 777s and 21 767-300s. BA is the world’s biggest single operator of the 747-400 and the second-largest operator of the 777 after United Airlines.