Thousands of job losses at BMI
About 1,200 jobs are likely to be lost at British Midlands International, British Airways has said. The airline began negotiating with unions today and said it anticipated securing about 1,500 jobs.
The saved jobs will largely come from cabin crew, pilots and engineers based at Heathrow. Most of the losses will come from BMI’s head office at Castle Donington and at regional airports.
“Consultation will seek to reduce the number and mitigate the impact of the proposed redundancies, including the potential to offer vacancies within British Airways at Heathrow,” BA said in a statement.
BA added that it would work on potential job opportunities with industry partners in the Midlands. It would also look to create jobs at its engineering facility in Glasgow from January 2014 when the contract for bmi aircraft heavy maintenance work outside the UK expires.
Keith Williams, British Airways’ chief executive, said: “bmi is heavily loss making and is not a viable business as it stands today. Our proposals would secure around 1,500 jobs that would otherwise have been lost. As we look to restructure the business and restore profitability, job losses are deeply regrettable but inevitable. We will work with the unions to explore as many options as possible and are already working with industry partners.
“This deal is good news for our customers and will offer new destinations, new routes and new schedules in due course. For customers with bmi bookings to or from Heathrow this summer, it is business as usual and customers can continue to book with confidence.”
