BA to operate more than 90% of flights after pilots’ strike
More than 300 aircraft and 700 pilots started Wednesday out of position.
British Airways plans to operate more than 90% of its flights on Wednesday following the grounding of most of its aircraft during a two-day strike by pilots.
Almost half the airline’s fleet of over 300 aircraft, and more than 700 pilots, started the day out of position.
More than 4,000 cabin crew have had disruption to their rosters, and in many cases will be unable to operate again for several days due to legal rest requirements.
Every flight movement also has to factor in detailed planning, including engineering checks, maintenance, catering, fuelling, baggage loading, cargo and cleaning.
Members of the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) went on strike in a dispute over pay, with a further 24-hour walkout planned for September 27 if the row remains unresolved.
A BA spokesman said: “We are very sorry for the disruption Balpa’s industrial action has caused our customers. We are working hard to get back to normal and to get our customers to their destinations.
“The nature of our highly complex, global operation means that it will take some time to get back to a completely normal flight schedule, however we plan to fly more than 90% of our flights today.”
