The British Airways subsidiary BA Euroflyer, which was founded specifically to operate short and medium-haul routes from Gatwick, has been granted an operating license by the civil aviation authority AOC. Numerous machines and personnel are to be transferred shortly.

The sister company BA Cityflyer, which operates from London City Airport, acts as a "template" for the new company. This operates the locally stationed Embraer fleet in the colors of British Airways. With BA Euroflyer, the IAG group member wants to reduce costs in Gatwick.

The granting of an individual air operator certificate and operating license to BA Euroflyer will enable the airline to initiate the transition of aircraft, flight crew and cabin crew to the wholly owned London Gatwick-based subsidiary, BA said in a media statement.

British Airways launched BA Euroflyer on 29 March 2022 when the airline began operating under the British Airways Air Operator's Certificate. The launch of BA Euroflyer marked the return of short-haul international flights from London Gatwick following the Covid-19 pandemic. This summer, customers have flown to more than 30 destinations across the network - including Amsterdam, Santorini and Marrakech - and hundreds of new flight attendants, cabin crew and office workers have joined the BA Euroflyer team.

“Receiving the AOC is a significant day for BA Euroflyer and is a testament to the hard work of the excellent teams who have worked closely with the UK Civil Aviation Authority on the AOC and Operating License applications, while also supporting a start-up airline during the first summer of their operations,” said Tom Stoddart, CEO of BA Euroflyer.

Over the next six months, ten Airbus A320s and nine A321s will be gradually phased over from British Airways to BA Euroflyer, with one A320, registration G-GATL, having recently joined the BA Euroflyer fleet. Flight and cabin crew will complete a conversion course to obtain a formal license to operate BA Euroflyer aircraft. BA Euroflyer plans to fly to more than 2023 destinations from London Gatwick in summer 30, including Bari, Dubrovnik and Seville.