Editing British Airways (section)

===Operations===

British Airways is the largest airline based in the United Kingdom in terms of fleet size, international flights, and international destinations and was, until 2008, the largest airline by passenger numbers. The airline carried 34.6&nbsp;million passengers in 2008, but, rival carrier [[easyJet]] transported 44.5&nbsp;million passengers that year, passing British Airways for the first time.<ref name="British Airways Traffic Statistics">
{{cite news|title=British Airways Traffic Statistics 2008|url=http://www.britishairways.com/cms/global/microsites/ba_reports0809/financial/opfin_stats.html|work=British Airways|access-date=16 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620072138/http://www.britishairways.com/cms/global/microsites/ba_reports0809/financial/opfin_stats.html|archive-date=20 June 2009|url-status=live}}
</ref><ref name="Passenger statistics for December 2008">{{cite news|title=Passenger statistics for December 2008|url=http://easyjet.com/EN/News/dec_08_passenger_statistics.html|work=EasyJet|access-date=24 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129132555/http://www.easyjet.com/EN/News/dec_08_passenger_statistics.html|archive-date=29 January 2009}}</ref> British Airways holds a [[United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority]] Type A Operating Licence, it is permitted to carry passengers, cargo, and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?categoryid=183&pagetype=90&pageid=340 |title=Description of UK Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence |work=Civil Aviation Authority |access-date=5 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311005729/http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?categoryid=183&pagetype=90&pageid=340 |archive-date=11 March 2007 }}</ref>

[[File:WatersideBAHQLondon.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Waterside (building)|Waterside]], the head office building of British Airways]]

The airlines' head office, [[Waterside (building)|Waterside]], stands in [[Harmondsworth]], a village that is near Heathrow Airport.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishairways.com/travel/aboutba/public/en_gb|work=British Airways|title=About British Airways – Waterside|access-date=27 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831095614/http://www.britishairways.com/travel/aboutba/public/en_gb|archive-date=31 August 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> Waterside was completed in June 1998 to replace British Airways' previous head office, Speedbird House,<ref>{{cite web|title=World Airline Directory: 26 March – 1 April 1997|work=[[Flight International]]|date=26 March 1997|access-date=3 October 2010|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1997/1997%20-%200826.html?search=%22British%20Airways%2258|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119124959/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1997/1997%20-%200826.html?search=%22British%20Airways%2258|archive-date=19 November 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Willcock, John. "[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/people-and-business-toy-story-is-just-a-fable-1176710.html People and Business: Toy story is just a fable] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621090818/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/people-and-business-toy-story-is-just-a-fable-1176710.html |date=21 June 2017 }}." ''The Independent''. Wednesday 7 October 1998. Retrieved 27 February 2010. "This is a lot more complimentary than the nickname for BA's old head office, Speedbird House, universally known as "Birdseed House". How cheap."</ref> located in Technical Block C on the grounds of Heathrow.<ref>{{cite news|last=Calder|first=Simon|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/british-airways-waterside-heathrow-airport-ba-hq-a9643851.html|title=British Airways to mothball £200m Heathrow HQ in cost-cutting move|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=19 July 2020|access-date=21 February 2021|archive-date=1 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301073436/https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/british-airways-waterside-heathrow-airport-ba-hq-a9643851.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

British Airways' main base is at Heathrow Airport, but it also has a major presence at Gatwick Airport. It also has a base at London City Airport, where its subsidiary [[BA CityFlyer]] is the largest operator. BA had previously operated a significant hub at [[Manchester Airport]]. Manchester to New York (JFK) services were withdrawn; later all international services outside London ceased when the subsidiary [[BA Connect]] was sold. Passengers wishing to travel internationally with BA either to or from regional UK destinations must now transfer in London.<ref>{{cite news|title=Flights hit by BA sale to Flybe|date=5 March 2007|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6418391.stm|work=BBC News|access-date=23 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021145639/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6418391.stm|archive-date=21 October 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> Heathrow Airport is dominated by British Airways, which owns 50% of the [[Airport slot|slots]] available at the airport as of 2019,<ref name="Slots 2019">{{cite web|url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9062/|title=Airport slots - House of Commons Library|access-date=26 February 2023|archive-date=26 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226082513/https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9062/|url-status=live}}</ref> growing from 40% in 2004.<ref name="Slots 2004">{{cite news|first=David|last=Gow|title=BA outbid for Heathrow slots|date=21 January 2004|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2004/jan/21/theairlineindustry.britishairways|work=The Guardian|location=UK|access-date=23 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827215515/http://www.theguardian.com/business/2004/jan/21/theairlineindustry.britishairways|archive-date=27 August 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The majority of BA services operate from [[Heathrow Terminal 5|Terminal 5]], with the exception of some flights at [[Heathrow Terminal 3|Terminal 3]] owing to insufficient capacity at Terminal 5. At London City Airport, the company owns 52% of the slots as of 2019.<ref name="Slots 2019" />

In August 2014, Willie Walsh advised the airline would continue to use flight paths over Iraq despite the hostilities there. A few days earlier Qantas announced it would avoid Iraqi airspace, while other airlines did likewise. The issue arose following the downing of [[Malaysia Airlines Flight 17]] over Ukraine, and a temporary suspension of flights to and from [[Ben Gurion Airport]] during the [[2014 Israel–Gaza conflict]].<ref name="IraqBA">{{cite news|title=British Airways CEO insists flights over Iraq are safe|url=http://www.theuknews.com/index.php/sid/224382415/scat/0f440bf3fff89f01/ht/British-Airways-CEO-insists-flights-over-Iraq-are-safe|access-date=2 August 2014|publisher=The UK News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808053222/http://www.theuknews.com/index.php/sid/224382415/scat/0f440bf3fff89f01/ht/British-Airways-CEO-insists-flights-over-Iraq-are-safe|archive-date=8 August 2014}}</ref>