British Airways is scrapping a wave of short-haul flights from Gatwick Airport after pilots rejected plans for a new budget hub.
The airline shifted most of its flights to Heathrow during the pandemic as global lockdowns decimated the aviation industry.
In a bid to take on easyJet, BA planned to rebuild its European network from Gatwick if it could make it profitable.
But its portfolio of short-haul slots at London’s second biggest airport could now be sold off to other budget airlines like Wizz Air.
A BA spokeswoman said they were ‘disappointed’ after pilots union Balpa rejected the plans.
She said: ‘After many years of losing money on European flights from the airport, we were clear that coming out of the pandemic, we needed a plan to make Gatwick profitable and competitive.
‘With regret, we will now suspend our short-haul operations at Gatwick, with the exception of a small number of domestic services connecting to our long-haul operation, and will pursue alternative uses for the London Gatwick short-haul slots.’
The vast majority of BA’s short-haul flights from the West Sussex airport have been suspended since March 2020.
In an email to staff, the airline’s chief operating officer Jason Mahoney said the terms offered to Balpa were ‘the best that could be achieved in order to create a viable and sustainable operation at London Gatwick’, but the union has chosen not to continue with a ballot of its members on the issue.
Mr Mahoney added the resumption of short-haul flights at Gatwick in summer 2022 would have been ‘good for our business as we try to recover and pay back the debts that the pandemic has necessitated’.
Balpa acting general secretary Martin Chalk said: ‘Despite our best efforts Balpa was unable to reach an agreement with British Airways on revised terms and conditions for London Gatwick short-haul that was acceptable to our members.
‘The company has informed us it is now pulling out of London Gatwick short-haul and considering what to do with its London Gatwick slots.
‘Balpa remains open to future negotiations with British Airways to address our members’ concerns with the proposal for London Gatwick short-haul or about any other part of the business.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.