British Airways strike next week called off by pilots’ union

A Ryanair pilots’ strike is on today and tomorrow

Six tonnes of extra fuel can be loaded onto a plane per flight (Getty)

The British Airways pilots’ strike due to take place on 27 September has been called off by the union.

Members of the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) were due to walk out for 24 hours in a bitter dispute over pay.

Previous strikes took place on 9 and 10 September, which saw more than 1,700 flights cancelled and nearly 200,000 passengers affected.

Balpa said that the previous strikes had “demonstrated the anger and resolve of pilots”, adding that it was time for “a period of reflection before the dispute escalates further and irreparable damage is done to the brand”.

Brian Strutton, general secretary of Balpa, said: “Someone has to take the initiative to sort out this dispute and with no sign of that from BA the pilots have decided to take the responsible course. In a genuine attempt at establishing a time out for common sense to prevail, we have lifted the threat of the strike on the 27 September.

“BA passengers rightly expect BA and its pilots to resolve their issues without disruption and now is the time for cool heads and pragmatism to be brought to bear. I hope BA and its owner IAG show as much responsibility as the pilots.”

British Airways has offered pilots a pay increase of 11.5 per cent over three years, a deal that Balpa has consistently rejected. “British Airways needs to wake up and realise its pilots are determined to be heard,” Strutton has previously stated.

“They’ve previously taken big pay cuts to help the company through hard times. Now BA is making billions of pounds of profit, its pilots have made a fair, reasonable and affordable claim for pay and benefits.”

Despite the strike being called off, the UK flag carrier will have already refunded or rebooked thousands of passengers whose flights were due to be affected by the planned industrial action.

A British Airways spokesperson said: “We have just received this news. We are considering the implications and we will give updates in due course.”

Separately, Balpa pilots that work for Ryanair have walked out today in the first of seven days of strike action this month. So far no flights have been affected.