BA CityFlyer, which operates British Airways-branded flights
out of London City airport, has proposed closing its Edinburgh crew base,
leading to a potential 72 pilot redundancies, according to the British Airline
Pilots Association.
BALPA said it received a letter formally notifying it of BA
CityFlyer’s intentions on the same day the UK government announced an extension
of the coronavirus Job Retention Scheme until October. It said the proposed
cuts could affect 72 out of 248 of the airline’s pilots, mainly at Edinburgh.
It comes as parent company BA is planning to make up to
12,000 staff redundant due to the financial impact of the Covid-19 crisis.
BALPA general secretary Brian Strutton commented: “CityFlyer
had been a successful part of BA so this is yet more shocking and devastating
news. While the chancellor fanfares his Job Retention Scheme the aviation
industry continues to haemorrhage jobs.
“The government is making this crisis worse for aviation by
imposing restrictions on flying and forcing airlines into a death spiral. BALPA
will fight for every job in CityFlyer at London City and Edinburgh airports,
which rely on this important and efficient airline.”
BA said it could not comment while a consultation with
unions is ongoing.