BA announces job cuts at Gatwick

British Airways has seen its profits plunge dramatically

British Airways has announced it is planning to cut more than 100 jobs at Gatwick airport.

The company said it was planning to operate up to 15% fewer departures at the Sussex airport next summer. Four aircraft will also be withdrawn.

Ground operations staff including those working at check-in desks are expected to be affected by the cuts.

The GMB union said it was surprised at the announcement, adding it feared up to 180 jobs could be lost.

GMB official Adrian Baker said: "We will be seeking an urgent meeting with the company to find out more information and we will do all we can to keep job losses to a minimum."

Voluntarily redundancy

BA said in a statement: "We have briefed our staff and their trade unions that the number of departures at Gatwick will reduce by 15% next summer compared to this summer.

"We are also reducing the number of aircraft at Gatwick by four from 41 to 37.

"In light of this, we are looking to reduce our ground operations staff at the airport by more than 100 people.

"We are committed to doing this voluntarily and aim to have a voluntary severance programme in place by the end of this year."

The reasons for the move are thought to be the worsening economic climate and BA's trend of moving operations in London to Heathrow Terminal 5, which has been sped up by the advent of the Open Skies agreement between the EU and the US.

In its most recently announced results, BA reported a 91.6% drop in six-month profits, blaming "incredibly difficult trading conditions" for the plunge.

Its pre-tax profit totalled £52m between April and September, down from £616m a year earlier.

BA is exploring a potential merger with the Australian flag-carrier Qantas Airways and is in discussion with the Spanish flag-carrier Iberia.