British Airways must be stripped of landing slots, MPs demand
The Government is facing fresh calls to strip British Airways of landing slots over the flag carrier’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
More than 100 MPs from across the political divide are urging ministers to review the allocation of take-off and landing slots at airports such as Heathrow.
BA has been widely criticised over plans to cut up to 12,000 jobs and ram through sweeping changes to pay and working conditions for those that remain.
The airline, part of FTSE 100 group IAG that also owns Aer Lingus and Spanish airline Iberia, has insisted that a radical restructuring is required with demand for air travel not expected to recover to pre-Covid levels for several years.
Although BA remains in talks with pilots' union Balpa, it is yet to convince Unite and GMB, which represent cabin and ground crew, to the negotiating table.
A row over BA’s prized landing slots at Heathrow, where it is the biggest airline, erupted last month when aviation minister Kelly Tolhurst raised the spectre of reviewing the airline’s allocation.
Although the Government does not have the right to allocate take-off and landing slots, from 2021 parliament will have the power to set local criteria in return for slot allocation.
Conservative MP Huw Merriman, chairman of the Commons transport committee, has led the criticism of BA and locked horns with IAG chief executive Willie Walsh over the job cuts.
Mr Merriman, one of 15 Tory MPs backing a slots review, has branded BA a “national disgrace” of its handling of the crisis.
Mr Walsh said: “This is not a disgrace. Lying down and surrendering without a fight would be a disgrace and we will not do that.”
Sharon Graham, Unite executive officer said: “There should be consequences to BA’s actions. The company is essentially creating an unrecognisable airline – it should not automatically control over half the landing slots at Heathrow. It is simply wrong for BA to continue to have privileged access to legacy landing slots while its workforce is sacrificed for the benefit of IAG shareholders.”
Alex Cruz, the boss of BA, has warned that “every slot lost will lead to jobs in BA being permanently lost”.
A British Airways spokesman said: We are acting now to protect as many jobs possible. The airline industry is facing the deepest structural change in its history, as well as facing a severely weakened global economy.
“We call on Unite and GMB to consult with us on our proposals as our pilot union, Balpa, is doing. Working together we can protect more jobs as we prepare for a new future.”
