British Airways has said that they are not currently planning to sell off the company’s subsidiary OpenSkies. The business class only carrier operates between Paris Orly and New York and speculation over its future started after OpenSkies managing director, Dale Moss said that since rumours of a sale were circulated in the summer a number of bids had been made by private equity firms in the U.K. and Europe. However since then Mr. Moss has quashed rumours of a sale by saying that the company was not looking for third party investment.

OpenSkies was launched in June 2008 and speculation of a possible sale came after Mr. Moss announced that the carrier had failed to meet expected financial targets. Speculation stepped up a gear after independent investment bank Reynolds Partners were allegedly asked to help find a buyer.

In June Mr. Moss told the Business Travel Market in London that the company intended to battle on even though the recession had seen forty-five percent of its passengers disappear. Shortly afterwards the Amsterdam – New York route was taken out of play and now OpenSkies only flies between Paris and the U.S. hub.

At the time British Airways was not saying much about the future of its subsidiary and said that the airline was looking at every aspect of its business in a very insecure economic environment. British Airways did however point out that OpenSkies was not a part of the business they were particularly concerned with compared to troubles they were experiencing elsewhere.