This weekend, as Britain and the Commonwealth prepare to celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen Consort, British Airways will celebrate with customers and employees at 35,000 feet and on the ground.

As the United Kingdom welcomes visitors from around the globe for a weekend of celebrations, British Airways and VisitBritain have collaborated to give visitors ‘a royal welcome’ by painting a mural on the London Heathrow flight path. The 47-by-64-meter artwork is located in Thornbury Park in Hounslow. Customers landing on runway 27L at London Heathrow will be able to view it on the right side of the aircraft just prior to arrival at the London hub. The artwork’s flowers were designed by children at Fun Fest Hounslow, a local summer camp. The two young artists, sisters Jasmine Prajapati and Raya Prajapati, aged 9 and 12 years old, respectively, drew the designs around the theme of “a natural world,” which is a passion of the King and a central theme of the King’s Coronation emblem.

On Friday 5 May, the BA059 from Heathrow to Cape Town, a Commonwealth member state, will be crewed by colleagues with versions of the names Charles and Camilla. This one-of-a-kind flight will be serviced by a team of ten cabin attendants, including three Camillas, five called Charles, a Kamila, and a Millie. The 777-200 aircraft will be piloted by three Charles pilots.

Customers enjoy the utmost respect

On the actual day of the Coronation, British Airways will offer customers with the surnames ‘King’ and ‘Queen’ lounge access prior to their flights from Gatwick and Heathrow. At Heathrow, patrons will be invited to use the First Wing and First Lounge, while at Gatwick, only the First Lounge will be available.

At 35,000 feet, the airline will commemorate the historic occasion on May 6 by offering Joe&Seph’s Eton Mess popcorn designed exclusively for British Airways in all cabins departing from Heathrow and Gatwick. The airline has collaborated with its caterers to create refreshments with a Coronation theme for flights departing from Heathrow and Gatwick. The special desserts include a lemon and white chocolate Coronation tart, an afternoon tea with three regal desserts, and a lemon and white chocolate mousse topped with a chocolate crown, all of which are inspired by King Charles’ well-known fondness for lemon cream. Customers will be able to experience these royal treats while watching a live stream of the coronation on their personal electronic devices. This service is available to all British Airways customers travelling on WiFi-enabled aircraft.

Lisa Tremble, British Airways’ Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, stated, “We are thrilled to commemorate this momentous occasion. As Britain’s flag carrier, we are proud to welcome guests to our house and to celebrate with our customers on board by offering a variety of Coronation-themed surprises. We will also be celebrating with our wonderful colleagues across our airports and offices, as well as crewing a flight full of colleagues named Charles and Camilla, so this will be a weekend we will never forget!”

The Big Assistance and the Prince’s Trust

British Airways is proud to be an official business sponsor of The Big Help Out, a UK-wide volunteer initiative that aims to raise awareness and provide opportunities for volunteering. The airline will encourage its employees to volunteer with some of the outstanding organisations supported by The Big Help Out.

As part of British Airways’ partnership with The Prince’s Trust, the airline ran a three-week ‘Get into Aviation Programme’ last month. The course was designed to help young people improve their employability skills and earn real-world work experience. The airline’s programme targeted 18-to-30-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds and encouraged them to contemplate a career in aviation. A number of young adults joined the initiative, which included confidence-building sessions and days of work experience in their chosen field. Upon completion of the programme, 11 young adults were offered a place on one of British Airways’ apprenticeship programmes.