350 ground handlers are scheduled to begin a three-day strike over pay on Friday, the Unite union announced on Thursday, causing "significant disruption" at London's Heathrow Airport.
According to a press release, the 350 union members, who Unite claimed worked for the aviation company Menzies, will go on a 72-hour strike on November 18 at 5:00 a.m. local time.
According to the press announcement, the strike at Heathrow Terminals 2, 3, and 4 will "cause inconvenience, delays, and cancellations for flights."
Additional airlines specifically impacted by the action were American Airlines, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Qantas, Swiss Air, TAP Air Portugal, Austrian Airlines, Egyptair, Aer Lingus, and Finnair.
As travel demand increased from epidemic lows over the summer, Heathrow experienced frequent interruptions in air traffic. To deal with staff shortages and the increase in demand, Heathrow implemented a daily passenger cap in July. It was later extended into October.
At the end of October, the cap was raised, and Heathrow just said that it was prepared for the greatest Christmas in three years. The airport has so far surpassed 2019 passenger levels by roughly 74%.
