BMI sale ‘would mean 50 jobs’ in engineering

SOME 50 new Scottish engineering jobs would be created to maintain BMI’s fleet if the airline was sold to British Airways’ owner, it was pledged yesterday.

Willie Walsh, chief executive of International Airlines Group (IAG), said 25 BMI jets would be serviced at BA’s Glasgow airport base, which already handles all 105 of BA’s smaller aircraft.

But he acknowledged the sale would also involve job losses.

The move would see BA become the sole airline flying between Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Heathrow. It has had a monopoly on the Glasgow-Heathrow route since BMI stopped flights last March.

Politicians and business groups fear the takeover could see fares hiked and flights reduced. But addressing Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Mr Walsh made no commitment to retaining any of BMI’s six return flights a day from Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

BA operates ten daily return flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow – its most frequent routes – and seven from Aberdeen.

Mr Walsh dismissed rival bidder Virgin Atlantic’s claim that BA’s Glasgow fares had increased by one third since BMI’s withdrawal, but admitted they had risen because of higher Heathrow charges and fuel costs.

He added that BA had to compete on price with rivals flying from Scotland such as KLM.

Mr Walsh claimed if the sale was blocked, BMI’s landing slots at Heathrow would be sold to foreign airlines with no interest in Scottish routes.

Mr Walsh also claimed BMI was “broke” and still operating only because of £60 million it was being paid by IAG as part of the sale process.

A spokesman for transport minister Keith Brown, who met Mr Walsh on Wednesday, said he had sought assurances on capacity, fares and investment.

He said: “BA/IAG were only able to give a commitment to maintain the current service levels in the short term.”