British Airways to cut staff by 12,000

British Airways (BA) has begun a consultation process which could see up to 12,000 of its staff laid-off. The announcement was confirmed in a statement issued by the UK carrier’s parent group IAG, which also operates Iberia and Aer Lingus.

BA has requested talks with trade unions as to how many of the its 4,500 pilots and 16,000 cabin crew might be affected. Pilots union BALPA said it intends to fight the proposed layoffs.

“This has come as a bolt of the blue for an airline that said it was wealthy enough to weather the COVID-19 storm and declined government support,” said BALPA in a statement. “BALPA does not accept that a case has been made for these jobs and we will be fighting to save every single one.”

“In the last few weeks, the outlook for the aviation industry has worsened further and we must take action now,” said BA Chief Executive Alex Cruz in a statement headlined “Preparing for a Different Future.”

“There is no government bailout standing by for BA and we cannot the expect the taxpayer to offset salaries indefinitely,” said Cruz added. “Any money we borrow now will only be short-term and will not address the longer-term challenges we will face.”

In early April, BA announced it was furloughing 22,626 employees in order to take advantage of the UK government’s job retention scheme.