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

Cozmuta, A. (2021) Selling “The World's Favourite Airline”: British Airways’ privatisation and the motives behind it. Business History, (doi: 10.1080/00076791.2021.1926991) (Early Online Publication)

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.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Cozmuta, Adrian
• Authors: Cozmuta, A.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Economic and Social History
• Journal Name: Business History
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• ISSN: 0007-6791
• ISSN (Online): 1743-7938
• Published Online: 01 June 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 Taylor & Francis
• First Published: First published in Business History 2021
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher