British Airways Poised to Join Long-Haul Narrow-Body Craze
- Owner IAG says long-range A321s may be deployed in U.K., Spain
- Jets would be used to serve sub-Saharan Africa as well as U.S.
A passenger aircraft operated by British Airways, a unit of International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG), taxis past the tail fins of other British Airways aircraft near Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport, in London, U.K., on Tuesday, March 29, 2016. IAG provides international and domestic air passenger and cargo transportation services.
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/BloombergBritish Airways-owner IAG SA is looking at acquiring more long-range narrow-body planes in order to open up inter-continental routes where demand is insufficient to support bigger twin-aisle jets.
IAG has already ordered seven LR variants of the Airbus Group SE A321neo for trans-Atlantic services at Irish unit Aer Lingus and is evaluating plans for a wider roll-out that could see the model deployed in the U.K. with BA and at Spanish unit Iberia, Chief Executive Officer Willie Walsh said Friday.