BA flights grounded after baggage handlers strike

BRITISH Airways has cancelled all flights into and out of Heathrow Airport until this evening because of the unofficial strike by baggage handlers.

Up to 70,000 passengers will be prevented from travelling until at least 6pm after the airline decided it could not run any flights to Europe, Britain and long-haul destinations.

The airline decided to take the drastic step of cancelling services because of a wildcat stoppage by several hundred baggage handlers, loaders, cargo staff and other workers.

The walkout was in support of several hundred employees of BA’s catering supplier Gate Gourmet who were sacked in a row over working practices.

The airline said it had had to ground all flights into and out of Britain’s busiest airport until this evening because aircraft and crew were out of position.

A BA spokesman urged passengers due to travel today not to turn up at the airport but to contact the airline or their travel agent to arrange a refund or to rebook their travel plans.

A further five airlines have been affected - Sri Lankan Airlines, Finnair, GB Airlines, British Mediterranean Airlines and Qantas.

Rod Eddington, British Airways’ chief executive said: “Because we have not had sufficient airport staff to operate flights into or out of Heathrow, nearly 100 of our aircraft and 1,000 pilots and cabin crew are in the wrong places around the world.”