British Airways Traffic Takes Off With Expansion of Nonstop Flights Between Pittsburgh and London

Oct. 20—The decision by British Airways to expand its London flight from Pittsburgh International Airport is paying dividends.

Passenger traffic on the route soared over the summer after the airline increased the service from four days a week to six last spring.

British Airways hauled 9,936 people to and from London in June, far surpassing the 6,309 in pre-COVID 2019 and nearly doubling the 5,300 seen in June 2022, according to the Allegheny County Airport Authority.

"We're very pleased with the performance of British Airways. We thank the entire community for its support, and we look forward to continuing doing just that," authority CEO Christina Cassotis told board members Friday.

In July, the airline carried 9,491 people to and from Heathrow Airport, compared to 6,623 in 2019 and 6,146 in 2022. It transported another 9,484 in August versus 5,727 and 5,498 in the same month in 2019 and 2022, respectively.

Bryan Dietz, the authority's senior vice president of air service and commercial development, attributed the surge in traffic for the nonstop flight to the addition of two more days of service and the reopening of international travel to Europe, Asia, and other destinations following the pandemic.

"When you add seats in the market with pent-up demand like we see to Europe and give travelers more options that make travel easier, the market stimulates and you see more people traveling than you would have had before," he said.

The top connections from Heathrow for Pittsburgh passengers include Paris, Barcelona, Venice, Rome, Prague, Athens, and four cities in India.

Before the expansion, British Airways operated the London nonstop on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. It added a fifth flight on April 24th and a sixth on May 14, leaving Saturday as the only day without service.

The extra flights cost the airport authority an additional $500,000 in subsidies beyond the $3 million it provided to the airline to launch service in 2019.

Mr. Dietz said the authority, which operates Pittsburgh International and the Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin, is still trying to persuade British Airways to make the flight daily.

The statistics regarding the London flight proved to be the high point of the month for the airport.

They were tempered by the fact that Pittsburgh International overall has yet to return to pre-COVID levels of traffic.

In September, traffic hit 97.1% of pre-pandemic 2019 levels. The good news is that it was up 10% over the same month last year.

It's pretty much the same for year-to-date totals. Traffic still is only at 93.6% of 2019 levels. It was up 13.9% over the same period last year, though.

Nonetheless, Ms. Cassotis said she was "very pleased" with the numbers, noting that the authority had budgeted for a 90% recovery.

After some big increases during the pandemic, cargo also has taken a nosedive, with volume down 15.1% in September compared to the same month last year. It is also 4.1 million pounds behind 2019 levels.

The authority blamed the plunge on softened demand for international cargo.

"We are absolutely convinced that it's going to come back at some point, and that we will be able to, with our strategies, see the return of air cargo service and the growth of that sector here in the Pittsburgh market. It's down all over the world," Ms. Cassotis said.

While FedEx, UPS, and Amazon Air dominate cargo traffic at the airport, British Airways is fourth, carrying 2.5% of the total volume year to date.

Mr. Dietz said that with the wide-body jet the carrier uses for its London flight, "the opportunity is there for serving not just passengers but also cargo on board the aircraft."

Also Friday, the authority board voted unanimously to renew the lease it has with the county to operate Pittsburgh International and the county airport.

In renewing the lease and transfer agreement, the authority will remain in control of both, as well as the county-owned land around them, for another 25 years. It has the option to extend the term another 25 years after that.

The initial transfer was authorized by the county and Federal Aviation Administration in 1999 after a contentious political battle. Before the quasi-independent authority was formed, both airports were managed by the county's department of aviation.

The FAA did not have to authorize the renewal of the lease and transfer agreement, authority spokesman Bob Kerlik said.

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