BA shuts Scots base to move to Heathrow

Published on Tuesday 7 October 2008 22:20

BRITISH Airways' chief executive Willie Walsh has confirmed that the company is closing its cabin crew base at Glasgow Airport.

He said there would be no compulsory redundancies and the schedule of flights from Scotland would not be affected.

Concerns had been raised from within both the Scottish and UK governments that BA would further scale back its services from Scotland.

However, Mr Walsh said that despite the worst problems for the air industry in his 30-year career, BA had no plans to change schedules, though they were under constant review.

"We are the biggest operator of flights from Scotland and I don't think that message comes over enough," he said. "There are no plans to reduce our services."

He said the cabin crew base was to close because it was more efficient to run the operation from Heathrow.

It means the 138 staff will have to relocate to London or accept voluntary redundancy.

Mr Walsh said it was a cost-cutting measure partly brought about because of the tough economic times, but BA has refused to say how much the closure will save.

The proposal will now be subject to a 90-day consultation with staff.

Earlier in the day, Jim Murphy, the Scottish Secretary, announced he had written to Mr Walsh expressing his concerns about the closure.

Mr Murphy said: "I want to ensure the changes do not jeopardise business in Scotland, particularly at this difficult time for the economy.

"I realise those conditions equally affect BA and its operations, but am deeply concerned about job losses on this scale. The closure of a Scottish base for BA raises significant questions about a longer term commitment to Scotland.

"I know Scottish businesses have raised their concerns with the company about the withdrawal of the early-morning flight from Glasgow to London. I share those concerns for the simple reason that air links to European and global destinations, for which Heathrow is such a crucial hub, are critical for Scottish business."

Mr Walsh was also met with protests from Glasgow-based cabin crew when he went to visit the First Minister, Alex Salmond.

The protest was led by Gail Sheridan, wife of Solidarity leader Tommy Sheridan, who is a Glasgow-based BA employee.

Mr Walsh was making a "courtesy call" to Mr Salmond, which was arranged three months ago.

He said one of the purposes of the meeting was to drum up support for BA's campaign for replacing the passenger duty with a new aviation duty which he said would particularly penalise people in Scotland.