British Airways’ new subsidiary BA Euroflyer, which operates international short-haul services from London Gatwick airport, has been granted its own Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) and operating licence by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
BA initially relaunched international short-haul flights from Gatwick in March 2022 using its mainline licence. The airline’s European services from the airport had been suspended in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The new standalone BA Euroflyer subsidiary, which will operate in a similar way to the existing BA CityFlyer at London City airport, has been created to cut costs in a bid to make BA’s short-haul network from Gatwick profitable in the face of tough competition.
BA said the granting of the new AOC would allow it to begin the “transition” of aircraft, flight crew and cabin crew to Euroflyer.
Tom Stoddart, acting CEO of BA Euroflyer, said: “Receiving the AOC is a momentous day in the BA Euroflyer journey and is testament to the hard work of the brilliant teams that have worked closely with the UK Civil Aviation Authority on the AOC and operating licence applications, while also managing the ramp-up of a start-up airline during its first summer of operations.”
BA Euroflyer served more than 30 destinations in summer 2022 and plans to fly to a similar number of destinations from Gatwick next year, including routes to Bari, Dubrovnik and Seville.
The subsidiary offers passengers the same services as mainline BA flights with Club Europe business class passengers benefiting from a premium check-in area, lounge access plus onboard meal and bar service.
British Airways’ long-haul and domestic flights from Gatwick will continue to be operated by the mainline airline.