BOSSES at Gill Airways have expressed anger and astonishment at the latest turn in what they describe as "copy cat" tactics by British Airways.

Management at Gill has said that British Airways is trying to move into Gill's territory by offering a service from Newcastle to Dublin, just two weeks after Newcastle-based Gill announced that it plans to takeover a Newcastle-Dublin route in January when Irish carrier Aer Lingus withdraws.

Earlier in November Gill bosses claimed that BA was "flooding" its domestic routes with cheap seats and cut-price deals. And Gill says that BA competition on Gill's key route from Newcastle to Belfast has created a seat glut that is not sustainable in the longer term for either carrier.

Malcolm Naylor, Gill chief executive, said he fears a similar "war" on the Dublin route if BA joins Gill in March, just two months after Gill's service begins.

"I said two weeks ago when we announced our new Dublin service that it wouldn't surprise me if BA were to decide that Newcastle-Dublin was a good idea and that they intended to operate the route as well. It looks as though my words have come back to haunt me.

"This is a much smaller market than Belfast and it will not support two carriers," he continued. "However, it is our intention to significantly increase the number of seats available compared with currently restricted Aer Lingus service, and with our range of promotional fares, the market will be very well serviced by Gill."

British Airways has denied the charges.