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Jim Mason · Guest

UK regional ground handling review

05/03/07

British Airways is in exclusive talks to transfer its ground handling
operation at Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester airports to
Aviance UK, an independent ground handling company.

This follows an extensive review of the airline's UK regional ground
handling operation. British Airways already uses a third party to
undertake ground handling at Newcastle airport and at the majority of
airports around the world.

Ground handling at London Heathrow and London Gatwick airports is
unaffected.

Staff at the regional airports work for British Airways and provide ground
handling for the airline's subsidiary BA Connect and other third party
airlines. The sale of the regional business of BA Connect to Flybe,
completed today (March 1), reduces ground handling by more than 40 per
cent.

If a contract is placed with Aviance UK, around 730 staff will be affected
and a 90 day consultation has started with their trade unions. Staff will
be able to transfer, should they choose, under Transfer of Undertakings
and Protection of Employment (TUPE) regulations to Aviance UK.
Alternatively, they can be redeployed within British Airways or take
voluntary severance.

British Airways' director of ground operations, Geoff Want, said: "Our
review has shown that we can no longer sustain inhouse ground handling at
these airports. We need a cost effective, flexible operation."

British Airways will continue to operate 54 return flights a day between
Scotland and London and 16 return flights a day between Manchester and
London.

In addition, the sale of BA Connect means that 250 staff at Birmingham
airport, who handle only BA Connect and third parties' flights, have the
option to transfer to Swissport, Flybe's ground handling company. At
Inverness, 21 staff can transfer to Loganair's ground handling company.
Staff at both airports can be redeployed within British Airways or take
voluntary severance.

ends

March 5, 2007
31/LG/07

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