British Airways to operate Boeing 747 on London-Moscow route

British Airways recently announced it has gained Russian government’s approval to operate Boeing 747 on its London Heathrow-Moscow Domodedovo route.

The airline said in a statement that it had earlier planned to operate British Airways flights utilizing Boieng 747 aircrafts between London and Moscow in September 2011. However, Russian authorities had refused to give it the approval.

British Airways disclosed that it has managed to woo Russian authorities and gained several Boeing 747 and 777 slot approvals, but only for dates coinciding with the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

According to travel experts, the Russian authorities were reluctant to approve British Airways request following UK government’s refusal of a similar request from Transaero Airlines to use a Boeing 747 and 777 on its Moscow Domodedovo-London Heathrow route.

Russia-UK bilateral agreement mandates that carriers should coordinate with authorities on the number of frequencies and aircraft type used on the route.

After having gained approval now, British Airways wants to operate a Boeing 747 for one out of three daily London Heathrow- Moscow Domodedovo flights. The airline also operates a Boeing 767 on the route.