British Airways’ 12,000 Redundancies Mean Fewer Staff Than In The 1980s

British Airways proposes to issue up to 12,000 staff redundancies, leaving the airline with its smallest workforce in over 30 years.

“The recovery of passenger demand to 2019 levels will take several years,” British Airways said. Parent owner IAG has reduced capacity 94% in April and May. Most impacted are long-haul routes, which British Airways has more of than other IAG carriers, which include Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling.

The job cuts represent around a quarter of its 42,000 employees, with 91% based in the U.K., according to its annual report.

Brian Strutton, general secretary of pilot union BALPA, said he “does not accept that a case has been made for these job losses and we will be fighting to save every single one.”

British Airways said the planned cuts of up to 12,000 staff “remain subject to consultation” with its unions.

“This has come as a bolt out of the blue from an airline that said it was wealthy enough to weather the COVID storm and declined any Government support,” Strutton said. However, COVID-19 started as a short-term health impact but is now causing a recession. Traffic will recover slower than initially forecast.

Workforce changes will “affect most of British Airways’ employees,” the airline said. It puts employment figures at 45,000 on its website. That includes 16,500 cabin crew, 3,900 pilots and 4,700 engineers.

Prior to the announcement, Sky News said British Airways could eliminate 800 pilot jobs.

British Airways employment levels bottomed out in 2010 with 40,000 staff. Its previous smallest year was 1984 with 38,000 staff. In 1983, the earliest year records are available for, British Airways employed 37,000 staff.

But even half of its 12,000 planned cuts would give it a smaller workforce than in 1983.

British Airways has not indicated capacity and fleet plans for coming years. Even if staff numbers recede to pre-1983 levels, flying output will be higher.

Outsourcing has seen British Airways reduce staff while successive restructuring programs have eliminated certain functions and increased staff productivity.

British Airways’ 42,000 staff last year were similar to its headcount in 2009. But last year British Airways carried 48 million passengers on 305 aircraft. In 2009, British Airways flew 33 million passengers on 245 aircraft. In 1983, British Airways had around 150 aircraft.