Traffic & Capacity Stats-May

British Airways PLC
5 June 2000

     
           TRAFFIC AND CAPACITY STATISTICS - MAY 2000

Summary of the headline figures
Traffic, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres, rose by 4.2
per cent in May. Premium traffic grew by 10 per cent and non-
premium traffic grew by 3.2 per cent.

Capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres, grew by 1.4 per
cent, with the majority of the growth occurring in Americas and
Africa and Middle East. With traffic up 4.2 per cent, passenger
load factor rose 1.8 points. Non-mainline statistics reflect the
sale of Air Liberte, with traffic and capacity excluded with
effect from April 1, 2000.

Market conditions
As  stated  in  the  preliminary results announcement,  expected
market  conditions  for  the key summer season  give  cause  for
cautious optimism.

Costs
Work  continues  on  the  nine strategic initiatives  to  reduce
costs.  Expenditure  on new products for World  Traveller,  Club
World and Club Europe in the fourth quarter will continue to  be
a  feature of selling and marketing costs in the course  of  the
current financial year.

Strategic developments
British   Airways  completed  the  sale  of  its  86  per   cent
shareholding  in the parent company of Air Liberte  to  Taitbout
Antibes BV. British Airways' net cash proceeds from the sale are
FFr457 million (£40 million). Accounting rules require purchased
goodwill previously written off to be reinstated, which has led
to  a loss on disposal of approximately £56 million in the first
quarter.  The  net effect of the disposal has been  to  increase
reserves  by  £117 million, and improve the net  debt  to  total
equity  ratio by 1.2 points and eliminate the continuing trading
losses of Air Liberte.

In  conjunction  with ten other major airlines, British  Airways
announced the creation of the first European, multi-airline, on-
line travel agency. The new site will offer the public access to
the  most  up-to-date fare information, including the  airlines'
lowest  branded  fares. Passengers will also  be  able  to  book
hotels,  car  hire, insurance and other travel services  through
the site.

British  Airways  launched  a new range  of  business  fares  on
domestic routes between the UK regions and London, and on twelve
longhaul routes for Club World and First. These fares will offer
businesses a wider range of fares, to take account of  differing
needs for flexibility and time of travel.

British  Airways has agreed to sell its 14.1 per cent  stake  in
Hogg  Robinson to the management buy-out consortium. Should  the
sale be successfully completed, British Airways will recognise a
£4.9 million profit on disposal.

Three  new  Board Directors have been appointed to  the  British
Airways  Board.  Rod  Eddington has joined the  Board  as  Chief
Executive.  Martin  Broughton,  Chairman  of  British   American
Tobacco  p.l.c. and Dr Martin Read, Managing Director and  Chief
Executive  of  Logica  plc,  have been  appointed  Non-Executive
Directors.  Sir  Michael Angus, currently  Non-Executive  Deputy
Chairman,  will  step down from the Board at the Annual  General
Meeting on July 11, 2000.

June 5, 2000

BRITISH AIRWAYS MONTHLY TRAFFIC AND CAPACITY STATISTICS

                               Month of May         Financial year to date
                                                        April through May
BRITISH AIRWAYS MAINLINE              Change                    Change
SCHEDULED SERVICES     2000    1999    (%)      2000    1999     (%)

Passengers carried (000)
UK/Europe              2035    1975    +3.1     3972    3896     +2.0
Americas               729     711     +2.5     1453    1400     +3.8
Far East & Australasia 177     170     +4.1      370     349     +6.0
Africa and Middle East 216     201     +7.4      462     427     +8.1
Total                  3157    3057    +3.3     6257    6072     +3.1

Revenue passenger km (m)
UK/Europe              1829    1785    +2.5     3587    3492     +2.7
Americas               4986    4831    +3.2     9907    9510     +4.2
Far East & Australasia 1731    1642   +5.4      3601    3361     +7.1
Africa and Middle East 1406    1289    +9.1     3013    2741     +9.9
Total                  9952    9548    +4.2     20109   19105    +5.3

Available seat km (m)
UK/Europe              2789    2797     -0.3    5431    5480      -0.9
Americas               6801    6718    +1.2     13269   13233     +0.3
Far East % Australasia 2498    2466   +1.3       4960    4849     +2.3
Africa and Middle East 2453    2363    +3.8     4855    4657     +4.2
Total                  14541   14346   +1.4     28515   28219    +1.0

Passenger load factor (%)
UK/Europe              65.6    63.8    +1.8pts   66.1   63.7     +2.4pts
Americas               73.3    71.9    +1.4pts   74.7   71.9     +2.8pts
Far East & Australasia 69.3    66.6    +2.7pts   72.6   69.3     +3.3pts
Africa and Middle East 57.3    54.6    +2.7pts   62.1   58.9     +3.2pts
Total                  68.4    66.6    +1.8pts   70.5   67.7     +2.8pts


Cargo tonne km (CTK)   408     355     +14.7    785     674      +16.6
Total RTK (m)          1401    1306    +7.3     2790    2575     +8.4
Available tonne km (m) 2126    2059    +3.3     4157    4059     +2.4
Overall load factor (%)65.9    63.5    +2.4pts  67.1    63.4     +3.7pts

NON MAINLINE SCHEDULED SERVICES*

Passengers carried (000)658     675     -2.6   1,280   1,316     -2.8
Revenue passenger km (m)474     624     -24.0    946   1,243     -23.9
Available seat km (m)  742     1,005    -26.2   1,422   1,970     -27.8
Total RTK (m)          46      62       -25.8   88      123       -28.4
Available tonne km (m) 74      97       -23.9   143     191       -24.9

TOTAL GROUP SCHEDULED SERVICES
Passengers carried(000)3,815   3,732  +2.2      7,537   7,388      +2.0
Revenue passenger km(m)10,427  10,172 +2.5     21,055   20,348     +3.5
Available seat km (m)  15,283  15,351   -0.4    29,937  30,189    -0.8
Total RTK (m)          1,447   1,368   +5.8     2,879   2,698    +6.7
Available tonne km (m) 2,200   2,156   +2.0     4,300   4,250    +1.2
                                                               
*including DBA, Go &                               Shareholder Value
Cityflyer Express w.e.f. 5.11.1999, and            Waterside (HEA3)
excluding Air Liberte w.e.f. 1.4.2000.             PO Box 365, Harmondsworth
For Air Liberte, for the 2 months ended May 1999   West Drayton, 
                                                   Middlesex UB7 OGB
and 12 months ended March 2000, ASKs were          Tel: [phone]
1,111m and 6,798m respectively. For the same periods,Fax: [phone]
RPKs were 783m and 4,839m.