Air Transport

British Airways' premium transatlantic operation OpenSkies is intending to reconfigure the aircraft of French counterpart L'Avion as part of the carriers' integration.

OpenSkies operates two-class ex-British Airways Boeing 757-200s  while L'Avion has single-class all-business 757-200s with 90 seats.

Speaking to Flightglobal ahead of a Royal Aeronautical Society event in London, OpenSkies managing director Dale Moss said: "In the course of the next couple of months, we will reconfigure these aircraft," says Moss, adding: "We will put a decal on L'Avion [aircraft] saying 'OpenSkies/L'Avion.'

"We don't have a timetable for L'Avion to disappear but it will be respectfully managed, perhaps six, seven or eight months."

He says OpenSkies "never really wanted to have" an economy cabin in its 757 fleet, with the decision to scrap the 30 economy seats originally installed leaving the aircraft in a 24 business-class and 40 premium-economy configuration.

OpenSkies and L'Avion operate between Paris, Amsterdam and New York. The carrier has chosen to conduct services in future under a single French air operator's certificate.

Moss is unsure when OpenSkies will require the remaining two BA Boeing 757-200 aircraft it had originally planned to take, in the light of current global economic challenges.

"We have four aircraft now and we are ahead of our business plan. We have two more of the type with BA...and I am uncertain whether we need the next aircraft in March, May, August or September.

"Rather than make that commitment, [we'll] let the market settle down. People are gradually coming out of a foetal position - they are not going back to horses and steamships and ideally the markets will calm down."