BRITISH Airways has launched a major business drive in the North-west, aimed at getting business travellers back on board.

Spearheaded by the UK and Ireland sales force, the initiative involves building partnerships with many industry bodies, including Chambers of Commerce, the Institute of Directors as well as the small to medium enterprise market.

The airline has joined many of those organisations and over the next month members of the sales team will be visiting key cities in the North of England to hold forums showcasing the British Airways On Business.

Peter Gronback, British Airways sales manager North of England said: "British Airways is still a market leader in business travel and it is our intention to remind people of that.

"This is the first time we have actually gone out on the road and actively courted the individual companies.

"But I believe it will be beneficial to both sides - we can tell the business traveller what BA has to offer them and they can tell us what else they would like to see.