Families face travel chaos as strike action hits Heathrow this Easter
FAMILIES flying away for Easter face double trouble at Heathrow.
Their travel plans are likely to be hit by Border Force strike action as well as an airline grounding 18 of its planes.
The first blow came when the PCS union, representing passport and immigration staff, announced walkouts from as early as April 8, hitting Easter hols.
They claim changes to shift patterns will result in nearly 250 jobs going.
General secretary Fran Heathcote said: “It’s not too late for the Home Office to do the decent thing and drop these unnecessary changes.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We have robust plans in place to minimise any delays from planned strike action.”
Meanwhile airline SAS withdrew six A320 jets from its Connect short-haul fleet operating out of Heathrow, and 12 aircraft from its Mainline operation.
Crew were warned of flight cancellations and roster revisions because of a delay with spare parts.
A source said: “The jets are grounded in Scandinavia until expired parts have been replaced — but this could take up to a month. It’s a total mess.”
SAS said: “We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience. Safety is always our number one priority.”