After analyzing some of Europe’s biggest airlines (Ryanair, easyJet) and other countries’ flag carriers (e.g., Air France), we want to know how Britain’s flag carrier performed in August. Therefore, we checked the latest performance figures and analyzed British Airways’ operational performance. As a result, we provide you with details about BA’s flight volume, conduct a comparison to pre-COVID, and take a closer look at punctuality and reliability in August. So, if you want to discover British Airways’ performance from February to July first — here’s the link you need.
The shown values are based on internal data sources. If you want to get access to airline performance figures in real-time, click here.
British Airways — August Performance Summary
- In August, British Airways recorded a considerable growth of more than 36%.
- As a results, for the first time since the pandemic, British Airways operated more than 10,000 monthly flights.
- However, compared to a pre-COVID level, BA is still almost 70% down.
- Besides that, British Airways operated with a solid on-time performance and very stable flight schedule reliability.
British Airways — Flight Volume
As already mentioned, British Airways recorded significant growth in August. Compared to July, the airline was able to grow its flight volume by almost 37%. Therefore, for the first time since Corona, British Airways operated more than 10,000 monthly flights. Nevertheless, the airline still operates at a much lower volume than some competitors, such as easyJet, Ryanair, or Air France.
Compared to its monthly average in 2021, British Airways was up 120% in August.



British Airways — Pre-COVID Comparison
British Airways seems to suffer from the pandemic much heavier than many competitors. Indeed, this is linked to the airline’s business model that strongly focuses on trans-Atlantic routes. Despite a 30% growth rate in August, British Airways operated 21,000 fewer flights compared to the pre-COVID level. As a result, BA currently operates only 32% of the volume it had operated before the pandemic.
British Airways’ recovery seems to be far behind compared to many other carriers- especially low-cost airlines. Airlines, such as Vueling or Ryanair, are already back at >80% pre-COVID level.


British Airways — Punctuality and Reliabiltiy
Punctuality
British Airways recorded a solid on-time performance in August: 91% of BA’s flights arrived on time at their destination. Accordingly, the August result is much better than the annual average (87%) and the weak July performance (85%).
Punctuality counts the number of flights that arrive +15/-15 minutes to their scheduled arrival time and relates that to the overall number of performed flights.
Reliability
British Airways delivered a fantastic performance in August in terms of flight schedule reliability: 99.5% of scheduled flights were operated. On the other side, the airline had to cancel only 50 flights.
Reliability counts the number of flights that actually have been operated and relates to the overall number of scheduled flights. Subsequently, the gap to 100% is flights that have been canceled.


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