Speaking onboard flight BA001, which departed Heathrow for New York JFK on Monday while the Cop26 climate summit continues in Glasgow, Doyle reinforced the airline’s “commitment to a sustainable future” and plans to decarbonise the business.

Doyle highlighted how the flight was powered by “a 35% blend of sustainable aviation fuel” (SAF) and that flying the route with an Airbus A350-1000 rather than a Boeing B747 used “about 40% less fuel, leading to a total carbon footprint reduction of around 80%”.

He also confirmed plans to power 10% of all British Airways flights with SAF by 2030, and made a commitment to becoming a net zero business by 2050.

Doyle added all emissions associated with Monday’s Heathrow-New York flight had been offset through contributions to wind and solar projects in Turkey and India, and rainforest protection in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Speaking about the relaunch of its UK-US flight routes, Doyle said: “This is a real moment of celebration for us after campaigning for so long to restore this crucial transatlantic link.

“I know how much today means for many of you. Some of you have not seen your loved in almost two years; others have been prohibited from doing business.”