BA has announced that it is to buy French business airline, L’Avion.

British Airways (BA) has announced it is to integrate L’Avion into its new OpenSkies subsidiary, at a cost of £54 million.

L’Avion is a privately-owned low fare business airline, and operates two Boeing 757 aircraft between Paris Orly Airport and Newark Airport in the US. By combining the two airlines, OpenSkies will now be able to operate up to three daily flights between Paris and New York.

BA’s Managing Director, Dale Moss, explained the benefits of the acquisition: “L’Avion has built a fantastic business offering high-value premium service that has inspired tremendous customer loyalty on both sides of the Atlantic. [The airline] will provide OpenSkies with immediate scale, increased access to Paris Orly and an experienced, talented employee base.”

Openskies was launched by BA on 19 June this year as part of the Openskies agreement, which allows airlines to fly between any US and EU destination. L’Avion, based in Paris, has flown 65,000 customers since it began in January 2007.

The French airline’s Co-Founder and Chairman, Christophe Bejach, was pleased to merge the two operations. He said: “This transaction will strengthen our current base and enable the combined airline to grow faster and stronger. Our staff will benefit from the ambition and recognised expertise of the buyer and our customers will have access to an even better service on a larger scale.”

Included in the £54m deal – subject to clearance by the relevant regulatory authorities – is the purchase of the airline and £26m of cash in L’Avion’s business.