The Unite union said the proposed strike by more than 50 American Airlines aircraft maintenance technicians and crew chiefs had the potential to cause "severe disruption" at Heathrow.

However, a new pay offer was announced on Tuesday (12 October). Unite said it had secured a three-year pay deal worth 19%. The deal will see pay increase by 7% for 2022, backdated to January, 6% for 2023 and 6% for 2024. Previously, the Unite said American Airlines had offered 5.3% in year one, a one-off payment in year two and a pay freeze for year three.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "By standing together in their union, our members at American Airlines secured a significantly improved deal.

"Unite’s focus is on making sure workers get a fairer slice of the pie by fighting for better jobs, pay and conditions. As this result shows, it is a strategy that is paying off for our members."

Unite announced the members’ intention to strike in pursuit of a better deal but this is now off after the engineers voted to accept the new offer.