Strikes planned across 19 days at Edinburgh Airport called off over Christmas and New Year

Strike action planned by tanker drivers at Edinburgh Airport has been called off.

North Air fuel tanker drivers based at the airport had been due to take 19 days of continuous strike action in a dispute over pay starting from later this week.

Grounded aircraft at Edinburgh Airport | Getty Images

But the company confirmed in a statement issued on Monday that industrial action had been called off, in a major boost for those travelling over the Christmas and New Year period.

A spokesperson for North Air said: “We are pleased to confirm that we have reached an agreement with Unite on pay and that the planned strike at Edinburgh Airport has been called off.”

Leading aviation union Unite had previously said members had “overwhelmingly backed strike action” over the festive period as North Air had failed to provide an improved pay deal, after an offer of a 4.5 per cent rise was rejected.

The industrial action had been planned to start at 5am on December 18 and run until January 6.

North Air said it employs 57 people at the airport and of these, 46 are operational workers who deal with refuelling and vehicle movements.

Unite had previously claimed the strikes would disrupt and even ground flights at Scotland’s busiest airport over the festive period.

A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said: “We are pleased that Unite and North Air have reached an agreement.”

Unite was contacted for comment.

Around 370,000 people are expected to travel through the airport between December 22 and January 1, with the festive period one of the transport hub’s busiest times of the year.