British Airways has sparked fury among Falklands veterans and politicians after its in-flight entertainment maps used the Argentinian name for the islands’ capital.
Screens on BA flights showed the city as “Puerto Argentino”, with the British name Port Stanley placed only in brackets beneath it. Argentina has claimed sovereignty over the Falklands — known there as the Malvinas — since the 19th century, despite the islands being a British Overseas Territory since 1833.
Veterans of the 1982 Falklands conflict branded the airline’s decision “disgraceful” and “disrespectful,” urging BA to correct the maps immediately.
Admiral Lord West, former head of the Royal Navy and a decorated veteran of the war, said the move was “unforgivable.”
“The Falklands are a British Overseas Territory and 99.9 per cent of islanders want to stay British. For the flag carrier airline to give Port Stanley another name is unforgivable. They should change it back as soon as possible. This is insulting to the population of Port Stanley,” he told The Sun.
Lord West commanded HMS Ardent during the conflict, which was sunk in the 74-day war that claimed 255 British lives.
The sovereignty dispute remains highly sensitive. Argentina invaded the Falklands on 2 April 1982, capturing Stanley in a surprise raid before being defeated by British forces. While Argentina still lays claim to the islands, a 2013 referendum showed near-unanimous support among islanders for remaining under British rule.
In 2017, Argentina’s senate voted to officially rename Stanley as “Puerto Argentino” and pledged to celebrate “Sovereignty Day” there if it ever regained control. Current president Javier Milei has said he will not relinquish the claim, though he has ruled out conflict with the UK.
The controversy over BA’s maps has reignited tensions, particularly after Argentina’s foreign minister Diana Mondino recently pledged: “The Malvinas [Falklands] were, are and will always be Argentine.”
BA, which is owned by Spanish-based International Airlines Group (IAG), said it was urgently investigating how the Argentinian name appeared.
A spokesperson told Travelling for Business: “We’re grateful this has been brought to our attention, and we are reviewing it with the third-party supplier that provides the in-flight map service.”
The airline’s swift review will be closely watched by veterans, islanders and officials who view the naming issue not as a matter of semantics, but of sovereignty.