London (AP) — British Airways has failed to block pilots from going on strike in a long-standing pay dispute.
The airline lost a bid in the Court of Appeal last week that sought a temporary injunction to prevent strikes by pilots based at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports. The pilots earlier in July overwhelmingly voted to back industrial action.
The pilots have not yet announced strike dates, but the airline’s lawyers have said it was likely to begin on or around Aug. 7.
The union accuses BA of making massive profits at the expense of those workers who made sacrifices during hard times.
The airline says the pilots have received a fair pay offer and want to inflict “the maximum in disruption,” costing the airline up to 40 million pounds a day.