British Airways takes flight with AI-driven business transformation

British Airways is taking flight with a new artificial intelligence (AI) driven business transformation initiative, introducing technology to revolutionize operations and enhance key processes.

Speaking at DTX London, Jake Pearce, head of AI and Rameez Ebrahim, head of transformation, outlined the strong early results the airline has achieved after embarking on a new Microsoft Copilot trial in June.

In just three months, it has progressed 34 specific use cases including automating RFP responses, creating HR policy agents and enabling instant email prioritization.

The firm has achieved measurable productivity gains with 39 percent of users reporting between one and four hours of daily time savings and 93 percent seeing improved efficiency.

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British Airways’ history is shaping its AI strategy

British Airways is undergoing a significant transformation, according to Pearce. The firm is drawing upon decades of aviation automation experience, such as auto-landing capabilities introduced in the 1960s, to inform its approach to AI implementation, he added. This historical perspective emphasizes making technology a partner rather than a threat to employees.

Ebrahim illustrated how AI tools can unlock human potential when properly applied, suggesting that, when industry professionals are equipped with the right technology, there are limitless possibilities.

British Airways recognizes itself as a “number of businesses within one business,” with distinct cultures across operations, engineering and back-office functions, Ebrahim said. This complexity requires customized AI agents for specific operational areas rather than a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.

British Airways’ core AI principles

British Airways is positioning its AI transformation with a clear end goal: enabling colleagues to be their best selves so customers receive the best possible experience. This demonstrates a human-centric approach to technology adoption.

Two core principles guide British Airways’ AI integration strategy. The firm believes that AI should:

1. Support colleagues by removing toil and repetition, thereby freeing them to undertake tasks where human creativity is key.
2. Drive better customer experiences by enabling a more personalized, robust and engaging service.

The airline chose to centralize colleague AI interactions through Microsoft 365 Copilot for training and consistency benefits, while maintaining flexibility to use different AI technologies for embedded system applications.

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Data democratization and AI champions

Copilot serves as a key component of British Airways’ data democratization efforts. It has helped the firm move beyond data collection to enable users to interact with and take action based on organizational data.

A key element of the company’s AI strategy is a grassroots champion program, Ebrahim explained. This includes 216 volunteers and tailored training sessions that help support self-learning, spark innovation and build momentum. Champions act as advocates for adoption, provide knowledge and support for peers and are the ‘voice of the user.’

Governance and change management

Governance and change management have also been integral to British Airways’ AI successes. It set up new oversight to manage delivery and ensure compliance.

Meanwhile, effective cultural change management has helped the firm address key challenges such as AI-to-AI communication loops, where one person uses AI to expand content and another uses it to summarize, creating inefficiencies. “You’re really reinforcing the point that this isn’t a technology change, this is a people change,” said Pearce.

Looking ahead, British Airways plans to scale AI across diverse business areas including engineering, flight operations and customer service. Value mapping across 600 use cases is underway, with recommendations for an AI strategy expected by October and an aspiration to go live in January 2026.

“We are currently looking at an agent where our pilots could potentially go directly to this agent to support them with HR questions or event health questions. That could be our next phase where we give the opportunity to our operational teams,” said Ebrahim.

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