THE UK’s second biggest airport may face even more delays this month as workers are set to strike over pay.
This comes as thousands of planes were grounded yesterday following a nationwide technical glitch.
Around 220 staff members at London Gatwick Airport are set to strike later this month, following a dispute between Unite members and employer Wilson James.
The workers, who provide assisted travel, have been engaged in pay talks since May and previously rejected a two-year offer of a 3.4 per cent salary increase.
The union said it was “not enough to address years of low pay at the firm”.
As a result, Unite regional officer Ben Davis, said that “industrial action will inevitably disrupt services throughout Gatwick” as negotions continue.
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Strikes are expected to take place from September 17 to September 21.
Just two days later, another set of strikes will occur from September 23 to September 26.
This will mean passengers who rely on assisted travel will take longer to board and disembark, leading to potential flight delays across both short-haul and long-haul services to and from Gatwick.
Davis added: “Strikes can be avoided but that requires the company making a significantly improved offer.”
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This comes as travellers have already faced extensive delays and cancellations following a major technical issue with the UK’s air traffic control provider yesterday.
The National Air Traffic Services (NATS) suffered an issue with its “flights processing system”, resulting in tens of thousands of passengers stranded in terminals and over 1,000 journeys cancelled.
Although the issue preventing departures was fixed yesterday evening, knock-on delays and cancellations – mainly affecting Heathrow Airport – continue to disrupt passengers today.