Hello and welcome to the April issue of Airliner World, incorporating Airports of the World. It’s no secret that our magazine loves a good anniversary and this month we’re placing a spotlight on two industry giants celebrating 50 years of operations. Half-a-century ago, on March 31, 1974, the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and British European Airways (BEA) came together to form the British Airways we know today. The merger marked the beginning of an eventful five decades for the flag carrier, which has seen it be privatised, fight off low-cost competition and celebrate its centenary. Now I know what some of you might be thinking: how can a company that’s turning 50 this year have already celebrated its 100th anniversary? Well, the 2019 celebrations centred around the lineage of its predecessor companies. In this issue, we focus exclusively on the last 50 years of BA and take a look ahead at what the next half-century might hold for the airline.
Meanwhile, across the Channel, Paris/Charles de Gaulle airport is also turning 50 this year, having opened its doors to the world on March 8, 1974. Handling more than 60 million passengers in 2023, the facility serves as the gateway to one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world. We delve into its complete half-century of history.
Elsewhere in this issue, we feature two significant ‘firsts’: Air India’s inaugural Airbus A350 and Transavia’s maiden A320neo aircraft. For the former, we take you on board to experience the next-generation widebody and find out what its introduction means for the Indian flag carrier. As for the latter, we go behind the scenes to understand the extensive work involved in transitioning an all-Boeing airline to its European rival.