British Airways has announced it is scaling down operations at Gatwick that will include cutting more than 100 jobs, operating 15% fewer departures and withdrawing four aircraft.

The reasons for the move are thought to be the worsening economic climate and BA’s shift of its London operations to Heathrow Terminal 5, which has been sped up by the Open Skies agreement between the EU and the US.Ground operations staff are expected to be affected by the cuts.
BA said in a statement: “We have briefed our staff and their trade unions that the number of departures at Gatwick will reduce by 15% next summer compared to this summer.
“We are also reducing the number of aircraft at Gatwick by four from 41 to 37.
“In light of this, we are looking to reduce our ground operations staff at the airport by more than 100 people.
“We are committed to doing this voluntarily and aim to have a voluntary severance programme in place by the end of this year.”
The GMB union said it was surprised at the announcement, adding it feared up to 180 jobs could be lost.
GMB official Adrian Baker said: “We will be seeking an urgent meeting with the company to find out more information and we will do all we can to keep job losses to a minimum.”
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