The combining of the two companies met government policy for the establishment of a "Second Force" to counterbalance the near-monopoly of the government-owned corporations, which provided 90% of all UK scheduled air transport capacity at the beginning of the decade and to expand the British share of global aviation. This entailed expanding the inherited scheduled network to provide effective competition to established rivals on a number of key routes, as well as augmenting the acquired fleet with the latest generation narrow-, widebody and supersonic transport airliners to maintain a competitive edge.