World Cup season is fast approaching, and with it travel plans are already facing issues. The latest coming from Heathrow airport in London, Europe’s busiest airport is gearing up for a strike in which hundreds of employees plan to walk out on the job. Among the airlines that passengers can expect disruptions from are Emirates, Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways.
Unite, British and Irish trade union, have said that 700 employees will participate in the strike, participants consisting of ground-handling, airside transport and cargo staff. The group added, “It will lead to disruption, cancellations and delays at Heathrow terminals 2, 3 and 4,” and also, “The strike action will particularly affect Qatar Airways, which has scheduled an additional 10 flights a week during the World Cup”.
Authorities are in conversation with airlines to ensure that passengers are not disrupted in the event that the strike goes ahead. A Heathrow spokesperson had the following to say.
“We are aware of proposed industrial action from Dnata and Menzies colleagues at Heathrow, and we are in discussions with our airline partners on what contingency plans they can implement to support their ground handling should the strike go ahead…Our priority is to ensure passengers are not disrupted by airline ground handler shortages.”
This strike obviously has pretty significant implications for fans expecting to make their way to Qatar for the tournament. The strike is set to take place over three days, from November 18. The tournament kicks off on November 20th, so it will be interesting to see how the situation plays out.