Selling ‘The World’s Favourite Airline’: British Airways’ privatisation and the motives behind it

Abstract

This article investigates the motives behind one of the earliest airline privatisations in history, that of British Airways. The British Airways privatisation experience highlights the dynamic characteristics of privatisation policymaking from the perspective of a flag carrier, including the various motives behind the sale, competing interests, and sale structuring, among other. The principal British Airways privatisation motives were reducing company borrowing, stimulating efficiency, and achieving popular capitalism. These received priority at different times given the long privatisation process. The initial motives were reducing public sector borrowing and stimulating efficiency, followed later by the aim of extending wider share ownership. Curbing union power and fostering domestic competition were not privatisation motives.