Is there a reason EK couldn't just come into OW? At the end of the day losing BA/IB would leave a HUGE gap. The landscape might change a bit - maybe less North America- India/Middle East/Africa transit traffic via LHR which is constrained anyway, but with 787s/777s replacing 744s one would think BA would have little trouble maintaing its nonstop long haul network ex-LHR.