London-Gatwickthe British capital's second busiest airport, with more than 46 million passengers in 2019, has always been a major centre of activity. associated with the national company British Airways. Although since the 2000s, the British carrier has gradually lost ground to its low-cost rival easyJetIt remained a key element of the London platform. In 2019, British Airways accounted for an average of almost 18% of all seat capacity from Gatwick.. This makes it the second largest airline behind easyJet, with a market share of around 43% in terms of seats offered.
Before the pandemic, British Airways operated 57 destinations from Gatwick. In particular, a long-haul network focused on leisure destinations such as Florida, the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean, with a dozen destinations in all. There were also short-haul routes with connections throughout Europe. Including other 'sunny' destinations - notably around the Mediterranean.
Lhe pandemic has put an end to British Airways' business at Gatwick. According to an analysis by aviation consultant CAPA, the British national airline's share, calculated in terms of seats offered, fell to 5% in September 2021. This is the result of the consolidation of BA's network at London Heathrow. It currently operates a long-haul network from Gatwick, made up of seven destinations. These include Antigua, Kingston, Saint Lucia and Montego Bay in the Caribbean, as well as Mauritius. And with the reopening of the United States, Orlando and Tampa since November.
On the other hand, British Airways has made it clear that it does not wish to resume services between London-Gatwick and Europe in their current form.which have been described as loss-making. Unless we apply a low-cost model.
Euroflyer for the 2022 summer season
So it's been a year since BA negotiates with the airline unions to create a low-cost subsidiary. The unions were extremely reluctant to the idea of this new airline, which is to take over all British Airways' European and short-haul routes at Gatwick. The airline's management had even indicated that it would abandon the project in the face of staff hostility.
Finally, In October, British Airways finally reached an agreement with a number of unions concerning the staff of the future airline.. Further negotiations are underway.
A new step was taken on 11 November with the registration of the name of the future entity. BA Euroflyer should be able to start operations at Gatwick for the 2022 season. No details were given as to the number of aircraft in the fleet or the destinations offered. But it is likely that the company will start with leisure routes.particularly around the Mediterranean. Marseille, Montpellier and Nice could be among its future lines.
