Flights at Birmingham Airport "unaffected" by Border Force strikes

Military personnel will cover Border Force workers striking.

Author: Kellie MaddoxPublished 12th Dec 2022

Staff from the Ministry of Defence will cover absent Border Force workers at Birmingham Airport during walkouts later this month.

The Government confirmed that military personnel and civil servants are being trained to help step in.

Members of the PCS (Public and Commercial Services) union at Birmingham, Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester and Cardiff airports will strike for eight days from December 23 to New Year's Eve.

Today (December 12), Birmingham Airport has confirmed that flights will operate "as scheduled" on days those days.

Nick Barton, chief executive of Birmingham Airport, said: “Throughout the Border Force strike period, we and our airlines partners will operate our normal schedule of flights both in and out of Birmingham Airport.

“The Border Force strike will not affect any departing passengers, irrespective of destination, and for inbound passengers we have mitigation plans which aim to make their entry into the UK as swift and easy as possible.”

The immigration and customs process will be run by a contingency team of Ministry of Defence personnel on strike days, while customer service teams will be on hand to help keep people moving as swiftly as possible, including directing them into the correct queues.

Passengers are being warned to expect some delays though, particularly at peak times.

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