Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide

Aerospace

BA initiates redundancy programme

In light of the impact of COVID-19 on current operations and the expectation that the recovery of passenger demand to 2019 levels will take several years, British Airways has formally notified its trade unions about a proposed restructuring and redundancy programme.

Photo by P Masclet / master films / Copyright Airbus

The proposals remain subject to consultation but it is likely that they will affect most of British Airways’ employees and may result in the redundancy of up to 12,000 of them.

As previously announced, British Airways has availed itself of the UK’s COVID-19 Job Retention Scheme and furloughed 22,626 employees in April.

Advertisement
Gulfstream RT

In a letter to colleagues, Alex Cruz, Chairman and CEO at British Airways wrote: 'Yesterday, British Airways flew just a handful of aircraft out of Heathrow. On a normal day we would fly more than 300. What we are facing as an airline, like so many other businesses up and down the country, is that there is no ‘normal’ any longer.

The global aviation body, IATA, has said that the industry has never seen a downturn this deep before and that full year industry passenger revenues could plummet 55% compared to 2019, while traffic falls 48%.  Many airlines have grounded all of their planes. Sadly, we will see some airlines go out of business with the resulting job losses.

Our very limited flying schedule means that revenues are not coming into our business. We are taking every possible action to conserve cash, which will help us to weather the storm in the short-term. We are working closely with partners and suppliers to discuss repayment terms; we are re-negotiating contracts where possible; and we are considering all the options for our current and future aircraft fleet. All of these actions alone are not enough.  

In the last few weeks, the outlook for the aviation industry has worsened further and we must take action now. We are a strong, well-managed business that has faced into, and overcome, many crises in our hundred-year history. We must overcome this crisis ourselves, too.  

There is no Government bailout standing by for BA and we cannot expect the taxpayer to offset salaries indefinitely. Any money we borrow now will only be short-term and will not address the longer-term challenges we will face. 

We do not know when countries will reopen their borders or when the lockdowns will lift and so we have to reimagine and reshape our airline and create a new future for our people, our customers and the destinations we serve. We have informed the Government and the Trade Unions of our proposals to consult over a number of changes, including possible reductions in headcount. We will begin a period of consultation, during which we will work with the Trade Unions to protect as many jobs as possible. Your views matter and we will listen to all practical proposals.

The scale of this challenge requires substantial change so we are in a competitive and resilient position, not just to address the immediate Covid-19 pandemic, but also to withstand any longer-term reductions in customer demand, economic shocks or other events that could affect us. However challenging this is, the longer we delay difficult decisions, the fewer options will be open to us.

I want to pay tribute to the thousands of British Airways colleagues who are playing a vital role in the global response to the Covid-19 crisis. Whether you are supporting our repatriation flights or the transport of essential cargo; or one of the hundreds of colleagues volunteering with organisations such as the NHS, you have my sincere respect and thanks.

This has been a difficult message to write and one I never thought I would need to send. I know how tight-knit the BA family is, and how concerned you will be, not just for yourself but for your colleagues, too. We must act decisively now to ensure that British Airways has a strong future and continues connecting Britain with the world and the world with Britain. '

Advertisement
DSEI 2025

GMB, the union for British Airways ground staff, reacted to the news by highlighting that BA staff staff believed they had reached some relative, albeit temporary, respite. Nadine Houghton, GMB National Officer, said: “We don’t yet know the detail of the proposed cuts but if the 12,000 figure is accurate this will be a huge blow for our loyal members.

“We believed we had reached some relative, albeit temporary, respite for them following the agreement to furlough 80% of BA’s staff – now this.

“I know our reps will work day and night to limit the impact on our members but 12,000 employees is a staggering number.

“All our efforts will be out into bringing that number down.”

 

 

Advertisement
Cranfield University
Lars Wagner to become CEO of Airbus Commercial Aircraft

Aerospace

Lars Wagner to become CEO of Airbus Commercial Aircraft

10 July 2025

Lars Wagner, currently Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MTU Aero Engines AG, based in Munich, will join the Airbus Executive Committee and succeed Christian Scherer as CEO of the Commercial Aircraft business, effective 1st January 2026.

Avelia to transform into multiple SAF supplier solution

Aerospace

Avelia to transform into multiple SAF supplier solution

10 July 2025

One of the largest suppliers of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), Shell Aviation, along with Accenture and American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), has announced today that Avelia is in the process of evolving into an industry solution with independent data hosting and a multisupplier model helping users access the greenhouse gas (GHG) ...

AI firms collaborate with Heathrow to enhance operations

Aerospace

AI firms collaborate with Heathrow to enhance operations

9 July 2025

Heathrow is harnessing advanced technology to make aircraft ground operations faster, smarter and more seamless across 116 gates at Terminals Two, Three and Five, as part of a strategic collaboration with IAG and Assaia.

Viasat test boosts business jet in-flight connectivity

Aerospace

Viasat test boosts business jet in-flight connectivity

8 July 2025

Viasat today announced a milestone for its JetXP business aviation in-flight broadband service, following recent test flights that successfully connected the Global Aero Terminal (GAT) 5510 to a ViaSat-3 satellite for the first time.

Advertisement
Gulfstream RT
ST Engineering Antycip’s Merlin MP521 advances student innovation

Aerospace

ST Engineering Antycip’s Merlin MP521 advances student innovation

8 July 2025

Khalifa University of Science and Technology today announced major student and faculty achievements resulting from the use of ST Engineering Antycip’s Merlin MP521 Flight Simulator, which provides hands-on experience in aircraft design and performance evaluation, directly contributing to a growing body of student-led research and academic ...

Birmingham Airport sees busiest ever June

Aerospace

Birmingham Airport sees busiest ever June

8 July 2025

Birmingham Airport (BHX) has had its busiest June ever, with a record 1,360,957 passengers travelling through the airport last month.

Advertisement
ODU RT