Thunderbug,
You are correct - BA outsourced those routes because the 767s or 777s it was using were just too much capacity for the routes.
There are exceptions, of course, but I was referring mainly to routes like Tehran, Damascus and Beirut. Personally, I'd love to fly these routes because of the history associated with those places - and I hear Addis Ababa is pretty interesting - despite the abject poverty and civil-war dangers.
I was just writing "off-the-cuff" - I should be more specific next time.
Do you fly for BMED? If so, how do you like it?
Cheers