Willie Walsh reportedly told a recent conference that
“my personal belief that a third runway will never be built” and that “we are planning for life without it.”
What are the options? Stagnation, buying rivals for their slots, expanding services from other UK airports, starting longhaul services from hubs outside the UK?
Stagnation seems unlikely; buying rivals could soon run into regulatory problems; the Openskies experience suggests that the last of my options is unlikely to be an immediate success.
That leaves expansion elswhere in the UK, but where? Withdrawal from the MAN-LGW route suggests that LGW can be ruled out. So is BA going to challenge the growing presence of foreign carriers on long-haul routes from the UK regions?