British Airways has an almost unique history. Spanning over a century from the first flight of Aircraft Transport and Travel Ltd from London to Paris in 1919 to the modern fuel-efficient aircraft of its current fleet, British Airways has proudly connected Britain to the World and the World to Britain. Over that journey through the rapidly evolving early years of pioneering aviation, taking days to cross continents with biplanes and seaplanes, through the post-war piston-engine luxury, the iconic jet age of the fabulous Boeing 707 and 747, the supersonic marvel of Concorde into the modern era of travel, British Airways has seen many historic events and carried literally billions of customers. Along the way that journey has generated vast amounts of treasured items, many of which are now displayed or stored at British Airways headquarters near Heathrow in its truly incredible museum, the Speedbird Centre. Much of the archive has true national importance and is kept as part of the nation’s heritage. From simple in-flight mementos to the Olympic torch, the items featured in this book represent just a flavour of that collection and bring decades of flight to life.
