BA was created in 1974 after a British Airways Board was established by the British government to manage the two nationalised airline corporations, British Overseas Airways Corporation and British European Airways, and two regional airlines, Cambrian Airways from Cardiff, and Northeast Airlines from Newcastle upon Tyne.
British Airways vznikli v roku 1974 potom, čo britská vláda zriadila British Airways Board na riadenie dvoch znárodnených leteckých spoločností British Overseas Airways Corporation a British European Airways a dvoch regionálnych leteckých spoločností Cambrian Airways z Cardiffu a Northeast Airlines z Newcastle upon Tyne.