Contents

• Company Background 2
• Industry and Competitor Analysis 2
• Financial Performance of BA - Profitability 3
• Liquidity 4
• Efficiency 4
• Financial Position and Analysis of Current Investments and Prospects 5
• Financial Outlook / Forecast 5
• Conclusion 6
• References 7
• Appendix 1: BA Annual Balance Sheet Comparison 8
• Appendix 2: Ratio Comparison Report 2009: Company (BA), Industry (Airline), Sector (Transportation), S&P 500 9

Description

Founded as ‘Aircraft Transport and Travel’ after World War I, British Airways PLC (BA) as it is today known has had a chequered past. Nationalized in 1939, today BA is not just UK’s biggest airline but is also one of the world's leading scheduled premium international airlines. Primarily operating in Europe and the US with Heathrow Airport as its hub terminal, BA generates most of its revenue from its airline business (98.3% of total revenues in FY2009, BA Annual Report 2009). In fact, BA’s main product and service offerings are in the following segments –
• scheduled passenger services
• Cargo handling
• Aircraft maintenance
• Ancillary airline services
In conjunction with its franchise partners, subsidiaries and code share agreements, BA flies to about 300 destinations worldwide. In fact, during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009 (fiscal 2009), BA carried more than 33 million passengers and also carried 777,000 tons of cargo to destinations in Europe, the Americas and throughout the world (BA Euromonitor Report, 2009).
BA’s key wholly owned subsidiaries include among others, The Mileage Company Limited, BA & AA Holdings Limited, BA Cash Management Limited Partnership, BA Cityflyer Limited (referred to as CityFlyer), OpenSkies, BritAir Holdings Limited, British Airways 777 Leasing Limited, British Airways Avionic Engineering Limited, British Airways Holdings Limited, British Airways Leasing Limited and Speedbird Cash Management Limited. BA also owns 13.15% interest in Iberia, Lineas Aereas de Espana, S.A. (Iberia).