British Airways axes flights and jobs in Belfast

British Airways has announced that it is to stop flying from Belfast International Airport to London Heathrow.

Up to 160 ground staff and flight crew are expected to lose their jobs as a result of the move, to take effect on Thursday 27 October, as BA announced the scrapping or suspending of 190 services along with 36 fewer flights to America.

The announcement came as the company revealed it was to cut back on the number of flights from London to the US and Europe in the wake of the terror attacks on the US.

In their statement BA said: “The Belfast London route has a history of unprofitability and in the course of the last four years, losses on the route have amounted to £38 million.”

British Airways General Manager in the UK and Ireland Ian Reid said: "Over the years we have tried hard to maintain the Belfast-Heathrow service. However, despite the best efforts of all our staff and support from the local community huge losses have continued."

George Matchett of the GMB union said it was a major blow to the workforce. He said staff on the ground were “very very disappointed” and felt that BA had “overreacted” to the current situation.

BA’s announcement follows another major jobs blow in Northern Ireland this week. On Wednesday, aerospace manufacturer Shorts announced it would have to lay off 900 people between now and January because of the slackening demand for aircraft caused by the attacks on the US. Shorts claim that in the short-term another 1,100 jobs are under treat. (AMcE)