Over 100 Members of the British Parliament, representing a variety of parties, have signed an appeal to the government to review British Airways' London Heathrow slot portfolio after the airline announced sweeping job cuts, the Daily Mail has reported.
Among the signatories were 15 MPs from the ruling Conservative Party, including Huw Merriman, the chairman of House of Commons transport committee.
The appeal was initiated by labour union Unite, which has staunchly opposed British Airways' planned downsizing. The union alleged earlier that the airline was planning a "fire and rehire" campaign wherein up to 28,000 staff members would first lose their jobs. Some of them would then, however, receive new offers on significantly less favourable terms.
British Airways has defended its planned cuts, affecting over 25% of its staff, as necessary for its survival. It has also warned that any slot at Heathrow taken away from the airline would lead to permanent job losses.
According to a report by Airport Coordination Limited (ACL), Heathrow's slot coordinator among many other airports, British Airways holds 4,887 slots for the Summer 2020 season or 50.5% of all slots at Heathrow. MPs have argued that the IAG International Airlines Group subsidiary should not be able to maintain its dominant market position at the gateway to the same extent following the job cuts.
BA also holds 17.4% of all slots for the Summer 2020 season at London Gatwick, where it is the second-largest slot-holder after easyJet (London Luton).
