LONDON: British Airways said its new short-haul subsidiary will start flying to 35 destinations, including the Moroccan city of Marrakech, from March next year.

The new airline, which the carrier said would operate under the BA name but exist as an “entirely separate entity,” will be based at London Gatwick Airport.

Tickets for flights to Marrakech, Amsterdam, Berlin and Athens, as well as other destinations in Spain, Portugal and Cyprus, would go on sale from Tuesday, it said.

BA said the subsidiary would initially operate three Airbus aircraft, but hoped to expand that to 18 by the end of May.

The subsidiary will operate similarly to BA CityFlyer, which is based at London City Airport.

“Today is a landmark moment for British Airways,” CEO Sean Doyle said.

“The creation of a new British Airways short-haul organisation means Gatwick customers will benefit from access to a premium service from the UK’s flag carrier at competitive prices.”

He continued: “We are looking forward to bringing a short-haul network back to Gatwick, with a fantastic flying team in place, to serve our customers from London’s second hub airport, which we feel sure will be a success.”

The airline suspended all of its short-haul services from Gatwick at the end of March 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold.

The IAG-owned company, historically the Spanish group’s most profitable brand, fell behind other subsidiaries Iberia and Vueling amid the UK’s tougher and longer restrictions on air travel compared with the rest of Europe.

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