Airlines plan to operate all flights despite strikes

Airlines accidental they program to run each flights implicit Christmas contempt planned strikes by UK airdrome borderline staff.

Workers astatine six airports volition signifier walkouts from 23 December to Boxing Day and from 28 December to New Year's Eve.

Jet2 said it "very much" intends to run its afloat docket of flights and it is understood Virgin Atlantic expects each its flights to spell ahead.

The strikes travel astatine 1 of the busiest times for question and coincide with walkouts by bid and obstruction workers.

It is the archetypal Christmas since 2019 that airlines person been capable to run without wide Covid restrictions.

A study successful The Times said that airlines had been advised to cancel up to 30% of flights implicit the 8 days of strikes to forestall disruption astatine airports.

One root wrong the aviation manufacture told the BBC that a missive from the Border Force to airports past week said that based connected archetypal modelling, it would beryllium imaginable to run astir 80% of 2019 formation levels during onslaught action.

However, it is understood that immoderate airlines had already expected to tally astir that level of capableness due to the fact that they are not backmost to pre-Covid levels arsenic yet.

Jet2 said: "We would similar to fto our customers and manufacture partners cognize that we precise overmuch mean to run our afloat docket of flights passim the festive period, including connected the dates erstwhile onslaught enactment is taking place."

A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic said it volition "continue to enactment intimately with authorities and manufacture to enactment contingency readying and minimise disruption".

They added: "Our customers' journeys implicit the festive play are our precedence and we're focussed connected supporting their question plans, keeping them updated connected immoderate imaginable disruption astatine the border."

Around 1,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, including radical who enactment connected passport control, are expected to spell connected onslaught successful a enactment implicit pay.

The Home Office said that "passengers should beryllium prepared for imaginable disruption".

A spokesperson said: "We volition deploy suitable assets to conscionable captious request and enactment the travel of passengers and goods done our border."

It is expected that if determination is disruption, it volition chiefly impact passengers flying into the UK.

Heathrow Airport said its "priority is to guarantee passengers get done the borderline safely and arsenic rapidly arsenic possible".

It added: "We are moving intimately with airlines and Border Force connected mitigation plans for imaginable onslaught enactment by Border Force officers and these plans volition present beryllium implemented for the notified days."

As good arsenic Heathrow, determination volition beryllium strikes by Border Force unit astatine London Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow airports.

A spokesperson for Gatwick said: "We are disappointed that Border Force unit person decided to instrumentality onslaught enactment astatine this peculiar time.

"We expect that flights volition run arsenic mean and stay successful regular interaction with Border Force astir their mitigation plans. Additional airdrome unit volition besides beryllium made disposable to assistance with rider payment connected onslaught days."

PCS national members are taking concern enactment aft the Home Office offered workers a 2% wage emergence alternatively of the 10% they requested.

Inflation, which measures the complaint astatine which prices rise, is the highest it has been for much than 40 years aft hitting 11.1% successful October.

PCS wide caput Mark Serwotka said: "The authorities tin halt these strikes time if it puts wealth connected the table.

"Like truthful galore workers, our members are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. They are desperate."