BA set to cancel Aberdeen flights

LESS than a third of Aberdeen passengers are expected to make it off the runway during a looming British Airways strike.

BA has announced emergency plans to cope with the first cabin crew walkout this weekend.

Aberdeen Airport runs a popular BA route between Aberdeen and Heathrow.

But out of 13 flights scheduled to leave Aberdeen for London over the three-day strike period, only four are expected to take off.

One of three scheduled flights from Aberdeen has been scrapped on the first day of strikes on Saturday and on Sunday three of four planned routes have been cancelled.

On Monday only one of six flights from Aberdeen is expected to make it to Heathrow.

Passengers hoping to return to Aberdeen will also be left stranded as 10 of the 13 flights scheduled for the strike period have been cancelled.

Cabin crew are due to walk out for a second time between March 27 and 30, causing chaos for thousands of people heading off for the Easter holidays.

Staffing cuts triggered the strikes. More than 1,100 posts have been removed by BA since November.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown put himself at odds with union Unite – one of Labour’s biggest donors – after unexpectedly hitting-out at the BA strike, describing it as “deplorable” and “unjustified”.

Unite has offered to suspend the BA strike, which is expected to hit 30,000 passengers a day, if the airline reinstated a settlement proposal withdrawn last week.

British Airways vowed to keep 60% of its UK customers flying during the upcoming strikes.

shind@ajl.co.uk