Meeting with BAA chief planned
Willie Walsh, BA's ceo, is to press for an early start to build the third runway at London Heathrow Airport.
He is meeting Colin Matthews, ceo of BAA, the airport's owners, in the next few weeks to discuss how to bring the controversial project forward.
Mr Walsh said he would like the new runway and sixth terminal, approved last week by the UK government, completed by 2016.
No planning application has yet been submitted by BAA and there is certain to be a public inquiry as it is facing fierce opposition from environmental groups and local residents in west London.
The current completion date is around 2019 or 2020.
BA is one of the leading members of the Future Heathrow pressure group which supports the new runway.
Other members include industrialists, businessmen and trades union leaders.
Mr Walsh said he had had no contact with the UK department for transport, which made the decision, and preferred to talk first with Mr Matthews.
He was speaking at a press briefing for the official launch of BA's new five times a week service from Heathrow to Hyderabad, one of the fastest growing cities in India.
Mr Walsh said many of the business travellers using the new service were from cities in American like Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco who transferred at Heathrow.
"This is how Heathrow works. Without these passengers, you could not justify a direct service," he said.
"That is why we have argued that Heathrow is so important. Heathrow is not just about just serving London.
"There is a massive demand for services from the UK to India and we are offering direct services."
Mr Walsh said India was BA's biggest growth area and its biggest international market after the US.
While the carrier is stopping its three times a week service to Calcutta in the summer, it will still be flying 45 services a week to the sub-continent, compared to 19 in 2005.
Mr Walsh said BA had been in talks with various Indian airlines over possible codeshare agreements but none has so far been concluded.
BA was also unable to invest in any Indian domestic carriers as the Indian regulations said that these must be 100% Indian-owned.
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