Airlines to 'halve capacity' on flights into the UK on 30 November pension strike at request of BAA
Heathrow airport has asked airlines to halve the capacity on international flights coming in to the UK, triggering rebookings for tens of thousands of passengers, after warning of gridlock due to strikes by UK Border Agency staff on 30 November.
In a letter to carriers using Britain's largest airport, Heathrow's chief operating officer, Normand Boivin, warned of significant disruption and delays to arriving passengers of up to 12 hours. With queues backing up in immigration halls, planes would not be able to disembark passengers and a mass cancellation of later flights would ensue, he said.
"The delays at immigration are likely to be so long that passengers could not be safely accommodated within the terminals and would need to be held on arriving aircraft. This in turn would quickly create gridlock at the airport with no available aircraft parking stands, mass cancellations of departing aircraft and diversions outside the UK for arriving aircraft."
Virgin Atlantic, one of Heathrow's largest carriers, said Britain "cannot afford to be closed for business" as it expressed concern about the impact of the strikes.
Britain's second largest airport, Gatwick, has also urged airlines to move passengers to other flights.
Indicating it is aware of the behind-the-scenes chaos at the UK Border Agency, triggered by the departure of its chief, Brodie Clark, Heathrow owner BAA said it had "reluctantly" concluded that UKBA would not be able to process the 60,000 passengers that pass through Heathrow immigration each day.
Boivin said BAA had reached a deal with major airlines to halve passenger numbers on Wednesday, prompting a mass rebooking programme. "We will plan for a normal flight schedule but we are requesting all carriers to reduce load factors on each international flight arriving at Heathrow on 30 November to 50% of normal levels.
"By following this protocol, airlines will reduce the risk of being diverted to an airport outside the UK and reduce the risk of having an outbound flight cancelled," said Boivin.
Asked whether ministers were preparing for the possibility that Britain's borders may have to be closed because of strike action, a Downing Street spokesman said: "It is clear that there is going to be an impact on the borders and airports and ports. I am sure at the very least there are going to be longer queues and people are going to have to wait longer to get through the borders next Wednesday. I am sure the UK Border Agency is in discussions with airlines and airports."
It is understood major carriers at Heathrow such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and bmi have yet to see a deluge of rebookings, but they are anticipating a flurry of requests once news spreads of impending chaos in arrivals halls.
BA and Virgin Atlantic said they were offering alternative dates to passengers due to travel on 30 November at no extra cost to customers, with Virgin Atlantic warning of a negative impact on the UK economy. "We are very concerned about the effect next week's strike will have on passengers and airport operators. Britain cannot afford to be closed for business. To reduce the number of passengers coming into UK airports and to minimise disruption to our passengers, we will allow those booked on inbound travel on November 30 to rebook for travel up to four days earlier or later without charge," said a spokesman for the carrier.
BA said it was still planning a normal schedule but warned of "considerable uncertainty". The airline said: "We are concerned that the UKBA strike on 30 November creates considerable uncertainty for our customers booked to fly into UK airports on that day. We understand that there will be a significant risk of severe delays in passing through passport control, with potential knock-on effects on wider airport operations."
The problems are not just limited to Heathrow, with BA also offering rebooking for passengers due to arrive at City and Gatwick airports. Gatwick's chief operating officer, Scott Stanley, said the airport had asked airlines to rebook passengers. "We have had face-to-face meetings with our major airline carriers to discuss contingency plans for the day and have called on them to offer their arriving passengers the opportunity, where possible, to rebook their flights either in the days immediately before or after 30 November."
A UKBA spokesman said: "Securing the border is our priority and over the last weeks and months we have considered all options to ensure we are prepared for union action. We always aim to minimise any disruption caused by the decision of unions to strike, but travellers could see longer waiting times at some ports and airports."