British Airways claims it is business as usual during strike

The airline was given permission late on Friday to use nine aircraft and crew from Qatar Airways to cover short-haul flights affected by the dispute.

A BA spokesperson told TTG on Monday: “We are running everything to plan. All our customers are getting to their destinations as planned.”

The CAA approved BA’s leasing of Qatar aircraft and crews on Friday evening. In a statement, the authority said the application by BA to use non-EU registered aircraft “was judged to meet all legal and regulatory requirements”.

Industrial action is due to take place until July 16, with some passengers already transferred to BA’s partner airlines. BA said in a statement on Monday that it was running “99.5%” of flights as normal.

It added: “We have merged a very small number of Heathrow long-haul services and all customers affected have been notified over the past week.
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BA claimed it had reached a deal with the union Unite on pay and conditions for its cabin crew, but that this had been rejected.

It added: “They should call off this unnecessary strike and allow their members to vote on the pay increase.”