- News>
- World
About 1,000 Heathrow ground staff strike, disruptions likely
London, Nov 02: About a thousand ground staff at Heathrow Airport began a two-day strike today, threatening to cause disruptions to flights on up to 20 airlines.
London, Nov 02: About a thousand ground staff at Heathrow Airport began a two-day strike today, threatening to cause disruptions to flights on up to 20 airlines.
Baggage handlers and check-in staff employed by Swissport UK and Swissport Cargo walked out at 4:30 am (0900 IST). Swissport said flights operated by air china, Cyprus Airways and Kuwait Airways were likely to be among the worst hit.
Swissport also handles ground operations for carriers including Aer Lingus, El Al, Icelandair, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Saudi and Swiss International air lines. It said it would continue to do the work for those airlines during the strike, although the walkout was likely to cause delays.
The company said that while it had set up contingency plans for the strike, it would be able to carry out less than half of its normal work. Airlines likely to be worst affected were Air China, Cyprus Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Ghana Airways, Hellas Jet, Kibris (Turkish) Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Middle East Airlines, Qatar Airways and Syrian Arab Airlines.
A Heathrow spokeswoman said eight flights would probably be cancelled today. Others could suffer short delays, she added, saying the problems had been "negligible" so far.
"It's all going very well, Swissport have brought in extra staff as have Aer Lingus and they seem to be coping," she said.
Flights by the affected airlines represent less than 10 per cent of the traffic at Heathrow. Bureau Report
Swissport also handles ground operations for carriers including Aer Lingus, El Al, Icelandair, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Saudi and Swiss International air lines. It said it would continue to do the work for those airlines during the strike, although the walkout was likely to cause delays.
The company said that while it had set up contingency plans for the strike, it would be able to carry out less than half of its normal work. Airlines likely to be worst affected were Air China, Cyprus Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Ghana Airways, Hellas Jet, Kibris (Turkish) Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Middle East Airlines, Qatar Airways and Syrian Arab Airlines.
A Heathrow spokeswoman said eight flights would probably be cancelled today. Others could suffer short delays, she added, saying the problems had been "negligible" so far.
"It's all going very well, Swissport have brought in extra staff as have Aer Lingus and they seem to be coping," she said.
Flights by the affected airlines represent less than 10 per cent of the traffic at Heathrow. Bureau Report