British Airways plans to switch to Boeing 767s on its London-Tel Aviv route with the smaller Airbus 320s on the route this winter. The change will affect the passengers' flight experience and quality of service, due to the switch from a wide-bodied airliner to a narrow-bodied plane, and the elimination of first class and a smaller business class.
"Air Transport World" quotes a British Airways spokesman as saying that the carrier was assessing which parts of the former bmi network are viable… It was “actively looking” at right-sizing some of its own services, using former bmi aircraft to give it room to maneuver in switching types between routes. For example, he said, BA Boeing 767s operating on European routes to destinations such as Paris, Athens and Tel Aviv might be replaced by former bmi Airbus A320s, although no firm decisions have been made. This would release the larger 767s for use on long-haul routes.
British Airways makes two daily flights between Ben Gurion Airport and Heathrow, using Boeing 767s and 777s. According to Israel Airports Authority, British Airways carried 22,567 passengers to and from Ben Gurion Airport in May, and 105,031 passengers in January-May.
British Airways said in response that it does comment on rumors.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on July 1, 2012
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