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British Airways will not surrender Heathrow runway slots in order to secure its proposed alliance with AMR Corp's American Airlines, according to its chief executive Willie Walsh.

Published: 18 Aug 2008

British Airways will not surrender Heathrow runway slots in order to secure its proposed alliance with AMR Corp's American Airlines, according to its chief executive Willie Walsh.

Walsh told The Sunday Times that BA would not give up any of the prized slots, which have changed hands for 20 million pounds ($37.45 million) a pair, just as competition regulators are tipped to demand that the two carriers forego as many as 10 slot pairs a day.

"There should be no slot remedy, I don't see how it could be justified," he said.

The publication added that Walsh's defiance was backed by Gerard Arpey, chief executive of American. "There is no rational basis for us to give up slots," he said.

Last week, American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia signed a Joint Business Agreement (JBA) to cooperate on flights between North America and Europe. Though the three airlines will continue to operate as separate legal entities – with their own fleets, employees and brands – they will cooperate more closely to improve travel choices, offer more convenient schedules and give customers more opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles.