British Airways will launch the first ever longhaul route from London City airport in September, despite the general aviation downturn. The airline has taken the decision to press ahead with the launch and set a September 29 date for the first flights. The business class-only service will be given the airline’s most prestigious flight number, BA001, previously used by Concorde until its retirement in 2003.
The aircraft on the City-New York service will be specially configured Airbus A318s, the largest aircraft that can be flown from the Docklands airport.