BA backs business in ticket giveaway
Released
on: May 5, 2009, 4:51 am
Author: Sophia Antoniades
Industry: Travel
British
Airways has announced the launch of a multi-million pound package
of measures to help small and medium sized British businesses
beat the recession and regain their rightful altitude.
BA
has teamed up with UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and BritishAmerican
Business (BAB) to offer 5,000 return
flights worth up to £15 million to help UK small and
medium enterprises (SMEs) win new business abroad.
The
airline is also calling
on other big businesses to throw their weight behind small British
companies through a consortium to provide products, services or
expertise that UKTI can offer as an additional package of help
for SMEs, on top of the services already provided.
Willie
Walsh, British Airways' chief executive, said: "Small and
medium businesses are the backbone of the British economy and
they are hurting badly. 120 of them close every week. We are working
with UKTI and BAB to give flights
that will support British business as it tries to spearhead the
UK's recovery. We live in a globalised economy so business opportunities
don't always live on your doorstep. This initiative gives small
businesses the chance to promote and sell their products overseas."
"We'd
love to see other British businesses pulling together in order
to help the UK out of the recession. We've put up the flights
to allow the SMEs to travel to do business and we'd be delighted
if other companies would join us by offering services and skills
that will bring real value and benefit."
Minister
for Trade and Investment Lord Davies of Abersoch, said: "This
is a great initiative. Exporting companies are more competitive
and resilient. Although the global slowdown has meant increased
challenges for businesses, it has also created opportunities internationally
for companies that want to expand into other markets.
"Small
and medium-sized enterprises can find it hard to break into new
markets on their own. It is critical we support them and UKTI's
partnership with British Airways will help our customers to look
to new horizons."
The
initiative is designed to support UK SMEs relatively new to exporting
or looking to expand into new markets with UKTI's help. Independent
research about UKTI's customers found that more than half were
experiencing increasing demand from abroad.
Peter
Hunt, Managing Director of BritishAmerican Business, added: "Our
organisation is dedicated to helping our member companies connect
and build their international businesses, and we think that this
initiative of British Airways will be of great help to our small
and medium sized enterprises in developing their overseas businesses,
primarily between Britain and the United States."
British
Airways will also announce further plans to benefit British business
and travellers throughout the next six months as part of its campaign
to get Britain moving again.
About
British Airways:
British Airways is one of the world’s leading scheduled
international passenger airlines. Our principal place of business
is Heathrow, one of the world’s premier airport locations,
which serves a large geographical area with comparatively high
proportion of point-to-point business. Operating one of the most
extensive international scheduled airline route networks, with
our codeshare and franchise partners, we fly to more than 300
destinations worldwide. In 2007/08, we carried more than 33 million
passengers. Our airline generates economic value by meeting the
demand for business travel, by providing vital arteries for trade
and investment, as well as providing leisure travel opportunities
for individuals and families.
British Airways PR Contact:
Sophia Antoniades
PR Consumer Manager
British Airways
PO Box 365
Waterside (HCAG)
Harmondsworth
Middlesex
UB7 0GB
020 8738 7330
www.britishairways.com
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