BA ready to consult on bmi job losses reg
BRITISH Airways owner IAG will start consulting soon with bmi unions on the level of potential job losses at the airline it acquired on Friday.
The European Commission gave regulatory approval for it to purchase bmi from Lufthansa.
IAG chief executive Willie Walsh, who called the deal “great news for Britain”, said: “This deal will maintain high-quality jobs at bmi and create similar jobs when we expand. More British jobs will be saved than if bmi had closed. British Airways will consult with bmi staff and their unions as soon as possible.
** CLICK HERE TO CLAIM A FREE COPY OF ONE OF OUR MONEY & FINANCE GUIDES **
“We plan to operate bmi’s summer schedule and will update their customers once the transaction has been completed”.
More British jobs will be saved than if bmi had closed
He added that over time he intended to launch new long-haul routes to key trading nations that are currently not served from Heathrow while supporting BA’s short-haul network.
The long-haul expansion should also help Heathrow grow as an international hub airport despite its infrastructure constraints, he believes. IAG’s Heathrow slot portfolio, excluding those that it has given up to seal the deal, will increase by at least an average of 42 daily slot pairs.
Some technical conditions need to be finalised before the deal is completed later this month: bmi mainline will then be integrated into BA.