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| BA may not reopen at Gatwick once pandemic passes | BA may not reopen at Gatwick once pandemic passes |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| British Airways has told staff that its Gatwick airport operation may not reopen after the coronavirus pandemic passes. | |
| The admission came in a memo, written by the head of BA's Gatwick hub and seen by BBC News. | The admission came in a memo, written by the head of BA's Gatwick hub and seen by BBC News. |
| BA's Gatwick operation, which is currently suspended, is roughly a fifth as big as its Heathrow hub. | BA's Gatwick operation, which is currently suspended, is roughly a fifth as big as its Heathrow hub. |
| In a separate letter to pilots, BA said it cannot rule out suspending the rest of its Heathrow operation. | In a separate letter to pilots, BA said it cannot rule out suspending the rest of its Heathrow operation. |
| In the letter, it notes that some of its rivals abroad are facing tough competition. | In the letter, it notes that some of its rivals abroad are facing tough competition. |
| It adds that a quarter of BA's 4,300 pilots are set to lose their jobs. | It adds that a quarter of BA's 4,300 pilots are set to lose their jobs. |
| The letter from senior management says: "We need to ensure that our remaining operation is efficient, flexible and cost-competitive to enable us to survive in an increasingly lean and unpredictable industry." | The letter from senior management says: "We need to ensure that our remaining operation is efficient, flexible and cost-competitive to enable us to survive in an increasingly lean and unpredictable industry." |
| On Tuesday, BA said it was set to cut up to 12,000 jobs from its 42,000-strong workforce because of a collapse in business due to the Covid-19 lockdown. | |
| The airline's parent company, IAG, said it needed to impose a "restructuring and redundancy programme" until demand for air travel returns to 2019 levels. | |
| The pilots' union Balpa said it was "devastated" and vowed to fight "every single" job cut. | |
| Survival at stake | |
| BA has been flying from Gatwick for decades. Before its merger with BOAC in 1974 to form BA, BEA flew its first routes from the hub in 1950. | |
| Plane-makers and airlines alike have been struggling to cope with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their businesses. | |
| On Monday, aerospace giant Airbus announced it was furloughing 3,200 staff at its north Wales site. | |
| Hours earlier, Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury had warned the company was "bleeding cash at an unprecedented speed". | |
| Mr Faury also told Airbus' 135,000 staff to brace for potentially deep job cuts and warned that its survival was at stake without immediate action. | |
| Meanwhile, US aircraft manufacturer Boeing announced that it would cut 10% of its workforce after it said the lockdown had delivered a "body blow" to the business. | |
| Other airlines, including BA's close rival Virgin Atlantic, have been seeking UK government help. | |
| The aviation industry as a whole has also been lobbying the government for assistance. | |
| On Monday, industry body Airlines UK urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak to extend his job retention scheme beyond June. | |
| It said airlines hit by coronavirus would face "a renewed cash crisis" if the scheme were withdrawn prematurely. | |
| Are you a member of BA staff who has been affected? Please get in touch with us by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | |
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