British Airways is planning to launch a subsidiary airline to operate short-haul flights from London Gatwick from summer 2022.

In a letter to staff, the airline said it needed ‘a competitive operating model’ to be able to run a ‘sustainable airline in the current environment’.

BA has only operated a handful of short-haul flights from Gatwick since the start of the pandemic, opting instead to consolidate its short-haul operation at London Heathrow.

It is also operating a small handful of long-haul flights from Gatwick, mostly to the Caribbean.

BA confirmed to Travel Gossip that it was working with its unions on proposals for a new short-haul airline at Gatwick

A spokesperson added: “We are working with our unions on proposals for a short-haul operation at Gatwick. We are not prepared to comment further while this process continues.”

In the letter to its staff, first reported on the blog Head for Points, BA said: “As you know, we haven’t been operating short haul flights at Gatwick during the pandemic. This was previously a highly competitive market, but for us to run a sustainable airline in the current environment, we need a competitive operating model. Because of that, we are proposing a new operating subsidiary to run alongside our existing long-haul Gatwick operation, to serve short haul routes to/from Gatwick from summer 2022. This will help us to be both agile and competitive, allowing us to build a sustainable short haul presence at Gatwick over time.

“As of today, we don’t have the answers, but we want to be upfront about the complexity we’re dealing with, and working through with your trade union representatives. We will keep you posted as things develop.”