British Airways (BA) said Thursday it had cancelled all its flights from Heathrow Airport near London after 1,000 staff stopped work to protest against the sacking of fellow workers by a US-owned catering firm.
"We have now cancelled all our long-haul ... and short-haul services this evening," a BA spokeswoman told AFP, noting that a total of 120 flight to Britain, Europe and the rest of the world had been affected.
Britain's flagship carrier advised the thousands of passengers hit by the decision to leave the airport and either seek a refund for their flight or reschedule it.
The spokeswoman said about 1,000 BA baggage handlers, bus drivers and cargo workers, who were members of the Transport and General Workers Union, had stopped work out of sympathy for fellow trade union members who were fired the previous day by Gate Gourmet following a dispute over a restructuring plan.
Gate Gourmet said it sacked 667 people Wednesday after they staged an impromptu strike, while trade union officials put the number at 800.
Heathrow is Europe's largest airport and the third busiest in the world.
Comments
Comments are closed.