The roots of the failure of BWA can go back many years and many unanswered questions could lay at the doors of past incumbents.
The fact remains that BWA were a smalll, family style airline run by dedicated staff with one common aim. That of making the company successful and secure it's future.
When 1-11's became increasingly difficult to operate into Europe due to their chapter II restrictions,we had to look further afield and this mean't the big city.
The reversed takeover of Castle Mill promised many things to the company and I recall at the staff briefing announcemout a buoyant atmosphere and promise of job security and finance to develop the company move into the 21st century.
The fact remains that all the change to a PLC really brought with it was the stark realisation that without serious funding, the change to operate leased aircraft was fraught with financial dangers in an increasingly competitive market for jet capacity.
Maybe another wiser move was for 4 x ATP's and not 6, but the real nail in the coffin has been the high prices BWA have had to charge clients because of the overheads it had to meet to keep creditors, banks and above all the staff, paid and happy.
Many attempts to buoy up the company were made and maybe investment in the staff and company technology would have been wiser than some of the consultancy fees paid to external companies brought in to assess BWA's worth and supposedly work something out better for the future. Maybe a chat with the staff involved may have been both cheaper and more fruitful (a lesson to all I hope).
Earlier, there was talk of 40m assets. I would venture to suggest that the real assets the company have owned have been the fantastic staff dedicated to the last and prepared to work many a long hour of their own time to make the thing work for all. Their flexibility and sheer dedication, backed by some loyal and fantatsic customers has no particular financial value but is priceless in every other respect. There were many on Friday who said they would have continued to work for nothing in order to keep the thing afloat, that dedicated and family an atmosphere there was at BWA.
Best Wishes from all our contacts have been both heartfelt and honest. The 56 years this company survived touched many lives, not just our own, but above all, it's sad demise is a loss of magnitude proportions to the industry and to all the families affected directly by it's failure.
Those who seek to take the cream from a fantastic company, may it turn sour upon you all.