British Airways subsidiary prepares to launch

OpenSkies, the new transatlantic subsidiary of British Airways, launched its first commercial flight today (June 19th).

The carrier is the first airline created specifically to take advantage of the open skies aviation agreement between Europe and the United States.

Paris
Orly to New York is the first route that OpenSkies will operate.

The airline will provide daily services using a Boeing 757 aircraft with capacity to carry up to 82 passengers.

British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh said: "This is an exciting new chapter in our history as, for the first time, we will be flying directly between continental Europe and the US.

"We are confident that OpenSkies will have a successful future. It will benefit from British Airways' experience in the transatlantic market and have the ability to be innovative and respond quickly to changing customer demands."

A number of European destinations are currently being considered for the airline's future services, including Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt and Milan.

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