BA scraps plans for short-haul subsidiary at Gatwick
It's after talks with the pilots' union collapsed
British Airways has confirmed has scrapped plans to launch a new long-haul division at Gatwick Airport.
It comes after talks with the pilots' union, Balpa, collapsed.
The airline had suspended many of its flights from the West Sussex hub following the first coronavirus lockdown last March.
BA has now confirmed it will suspend European routes from Gatwick, save for a small number of domestic connections.
British Airways' plans to launch a short-haul subsidiary at Gatwick Airport have been scrapped after it failed to reach an agreement on pilots' contracts.
A spokeswoman for the airline told the PA news agency that it was "disappointed" it could not secure a deal with Balpa.
She said:
"After many years of losing money on European flights from the airport, we were clear that coming out of the pandemic, we needed a plan to make Gatwick profitable and competitive.
"With regret, we will now suspend our short-haul operations at Gatwick, with the exception of a small number of domestic services connecting to our long-haul operation, and will pursue alternative uses for the London Gatwick short-haul slots."
In an email to staff seen by PA, the airline's chief operating officer Jason Mahoney wrote that the terms offered to Balpa were "the best that could be achieved in order to create a viable and sustainable operation at London Gatwick", but the union has chosen not to continue with a ballot of its members on the issue.
Mr Mahoney added that the resumption of short-haul flights at Gatwick in summer 2022 would have been "good for our business as we try to recover and pay back the debts that the pandemic has necessitated".
British Airways planned for the new business to initially have up to 17 Airbus A320 aircraft based at Gatwick in summer 2022, with more added in line with demand over the following three to four years.