05/09/2001

British Airways poised to cut 1,800 jobs by end of financial year

British Airways has informed unions of plans to cut 1,800 jobs by the end of the financial year.

The company announced they would aim to achieve the reduction through voluntary redundancies and natural wastage. However, a spokesman said they could not rule out compulsory redundancies. He added that the staff reductions were part of an ongoing plan to cut costs by British Airways.

Engineers, cabin crew and customer services staff are all thought likely to be among those facing cutbacks.

British Airways chief executive Rod Eddington revealed the job cuts at a management briefing on Monday morning.

While operating costs have been nearly halved at British Airways, the airline claims its strategy of focusing on high-value customers was starting to pay-off.

The company recorded a pre-tax profit of £40 million for the three months to June, compared to a £50 million loss for the same quarter last year.

However, this year's figures include the one-off £100 million profit the company made when no-frills airline Go was sold in June. (MB)

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