Aircraft

British Airways has reserved 10 delivery positions for Boeing 777s from the end of 2008 to ensure it has the capacity to support long-haul expansion.

The revelation was made by chief executive Willie Walsh, speaking during the company’s annual investors’ day last week. Acknowledging that “some concern has been expressed” about whether the airline would be able to obtain long-haul aircraft in a suitable timeframe for expansion, Walsh stressed that the aircraft have not been ordered and are “not on the airline’s books”.

He also detailed the carrier’s latest cost-cutting effort, which is aimed at slashing £450 million ($780 million) from the balance sheet over the next two years in a bid to attain a 10% operating margin by 2008.