Job losses at UK airports feared - Luton,Finance Airport News

Airport news for Luton,Finance on 14/09/2009.

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As fewer Britons fly overseas for business and holiday travel amidst the tough economic times, airport workers are bracing themselves for a wave of redundancies.

The current crunch has hit employees at various UK airports hard. Fewer passengers are passing through airports across the nation. With overseas travel plummeting by 14% compared to 2008 figures, there simply isn't enough work for staff.

Among the worst hit at employees working for baggage handling firms. One of the world's largest ground handling firms, Servisair is set to close down its operations at Luton Airport.

The firm said its decision to sell to rival firm Aviance is based on shrinking passenger numbers.

This latest decision comes after Servisair announced hundreds of redundancies at other airports, including Gatwick, Liverpool and Manchester. Last month, the firm's baggage handlers at the Liverpool airport staged a 12-day walk out to protest the redundancies.

Other areas in the industry are also seeing job cuts. Travel firms have reported a reduction in holiday and business bookings, although some respite has come from a flurry of bookings from travellers heading to South Africa for the World Cup. Low cost carrier easyJet has announced it is axing 20% of its flights from the beleaguered Luton Airport. This reduction could translate into about 250 employees losing their jobs.

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