British Airways looks to U-turn decision to ditch Gatwick short-haul flights
British Airways (BA) is reportedly looking to U-turn on its decision to ditch short-haul flights from London’s Gatwick airport.
Bosses at trade union Balpa reopened talks last week and are planning on taking a new pay deal to pilots, the Telegraph reported.
After a gruelling 18-months for the travel industry, the airline ditched short-haul flights in a bid to slash costs.
Balpa had originally backed BA’s proposals, but its members reportedly refused to support the cuts at the ballot box.
The airline is expected to confirm its position sometime today, though a failure to reach an agreement would see Gatwick wave goodbye to its second-biggest customer.
Meanwhile, the trade union will test the waters with pilots, seeing whether they will support the updated plans.
A BA spokesperson said: “Our short-haul operation at Gatwick was consistently unprofitable and we were clear that we could not re-start short-haul flights unless we were able to establish a competitive platform. While we have been actively pursuing alternative uses for our slots, last week BALPA asked us to resume discussions.
“These talks were constructive, addressed key concerns and have secured the efficiencies required. BALPA is now taking a new proposal to its members.”