Strikes at Heathrow Airport are taking place over the next few weeks, with the first one already under way.
Staff at the UK’s biggest airport are set to walk out during the early bank holiday in May, with their union warning planes could be “delayed, disrupted and grounded”.
Here’s what you need to know about when all the strikes are, what disruption is expected and which airlines are affected.
Border Force officers
They are walking out for four days from now until Thursday 2 May over changes to their working conditions, according to the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) trade union.
The union said more than 300 of its members working at terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the airport are striking.
The effect of this strike is on arrivals rather than departures.
The action is taking place because around 250 Border Force staff will lose their jobs at passport control under new roster plans, the union says.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Our members are angry and disappointed at being forced out of their jobs.
“While not everyone will be affected, the changes will disproportionately hit those who are disabled or have caring responsibilities.
“The Home Office should be doing all it can to retain experienced, trained staff – not lose them by introducing an unworkable new roster system.”
A Home Office spokesperson said it had “robust plans in place to minimise any potential disruption” during the strikes and “keeping our borders secure remains or top priority”.
The spokesperson said they were “disappointed” with the union’s decision but remained “open to discussing a resolution”.
“The changes we are implementing will bring the working arrangements for Border Force Heathrow staff in line with the way staff work at other ports, provide them with more certainty on working patterns and improve the service to the travelling public,” the spokesperson added.
Refuelling workers
Some 50 refuellers working at the airport are set to strike on the following days:
• Saturday 4 May
• Sunday 5 May
• Monday 6 May (bank holiday)
The Unite union says it expects the strikes by its members to lead to severe disruption for passengers over the bank holiday.
Unite says the workers’ employer, aviation fuel firm AFS, imposed cuts to the terms and conditions of new staff recruited since January 2024, including offering them reduced pension and sickness benefits.
Heathrow is working on contingencies with AFS to manage any potential disruption, saying it has “robust” measures planned and passengers can book flights from the airport with confidence.
Sky News has attempted to contact AFS for comment.
Here is the full list of airlines set to be affected:
• Air Canada
• American Airlines
• United Airlines
• Delta
• Virgin Atlantic
• Japan Airlines
• Emirates
• Qantas
• El Al
• Singapore Airlines
• Korean Airlines
• Air France
• KLM
• Ethiopian Airlines
• Jet Blue
• LOT (Polish)
• Royal Air Maroc
• Middle East Airlines
• SAS (Scandinavian)
• Tap Air Portugal
• Malta Airlines
• DHL
• Aero Mexico
• Latam Airlines
• Air India
• Logan Air
• Bulgarian Air
• Uzbekistan
• China Airlines
• Air Mauritius
• Turkmenistan
• Avianca
• Asiana
• Saudi
• Tianjin Airlines
• Beijing Capital
• Rwanda Air
Almost 800 staff in various departments
Unite members in the following departments at Heathrow are set to take part in a week of strike action in May:
• Passenger services – who assist travellers to catch connecting flights
• Trolley operations
• Campus security – the security guards who are responsible for all workers at Heathrow and vehicles being checked before entering Heathrow
• Firefighters
• Airside operations
The walkouts will take place on the following days:
• Tuesday 7 May
• Wednesday 8 May
• Thursday 9 May
• Friday 10 May
• Saturday 11 May
• Sunday 12 May
• Monday 13 May
Unite says the strike action “will inevitably cause widespread disruption across the airport, leading to delays and disruption”.
It says the airport has announced the work of passenger services, trolley operations and campus security is set to be outsourced by 1 June in a “cost-cutting exercise” that Heathrow has stated will save it £40m.
“This cost reduction will lead to a substantial reduction in the number of workers, which raises serious security concerns, given the safety critical nature of much of the work undertaken,” Unite says.
Its firefighters and airside operation members are also striking because they fear they “may be next in line” to have their work outsourced, the union adds.
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Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Heathrow Airport’s actions are deplorable, it is raking in massive profits for the bosses while trying to squeeze every last penny out of its workforce.
“Unite is fully focused on defending its members jobs, pay and conditions and our members at Heathrow will receive the union’s unrelenting support during this dispute.”
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “We are reorganising our operations to deliver better results for our customers. There are no job losses as a result of these changes, and we continue to discuss with Unite the implementation of these changes for the small number of colleagues impacted.
“Unite’s threats of potential industrial action are unnecessary, and customers can be reassured that we will keep the airport operating smoothly, just like we have in the past.”
