British Airways

British Airways is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom, headquartered at the Waterside building next to its main hub at London Heathrow. It is the second-largest UK-based carrier by fleet size and passengers, behind easyJet. Since its merger with Iberia in January 2011 it has belonged to International Airlines Group, a holding company registered in Madrid.

Condé Nast Traveller readers rank British Airways No. 10 among the world's airlines in the Readers' Choice Awards 2026, which are decided by the magazine's readers. Over the years it grew by taking over British Caledonian in 1987, Dan-Air in 1992, TAT European Airlines in 1993 and British Midland International in 2012.

The airline was formed on 31 March 1974 by merging British Overseas Airways Corporation, British European Airways and two regional airlines, and it was privatised in February 1987. Its lineage reaches back to Aircraft Transport & Travel, which began the world's first daily international commercial air service, from London to Paris, on 25 August 1919. British Airways was also the first passenger airline to earn more than US$1 billion on a single route in a year.

Sources of this text: Wikipedia · Condé Nast Traveller (UK)