Airport Group BAA Plans Job Cuts in Efficiency Drive

BAA, the airport operating group responsible for the running of London Heathrow amongst others, has announced that a large number of redundancies are set to be made. Although not specifying at this stage the amount of jobs that will go, BAA has quashed rumours that the volume could be around the 2,000 mark. The company added that, within customer services and security, no impact would be felt. It is understood that the redundancies are a component of a wider drive, as the UK's biggest airport management group seeks to become more efficient.

One media source cited 2,000 as the figure that BAA would reduce its workforce by. A spokeswoman, however, subsequently responded by stating that the figure was "not recognise(d)". She added: "This is a simplification exercise aimed at support staff much more than frontline staff. It's not simply about costs. It's about building a much leaner and more efficient business."

Within the airline industry, BAA currently holds a 60 per cent market share of all passenger flights in the UK - a figure that, in the south of the country, increases to 90 per cent. In 2006, the group was purchased by Spanish company Ferrovial. It is presently embroiled in an investigation under which, at the hands of the Competition Commission, BAA is being scrutinised in respect of whether its market position is over-dominant. One factor anticipated to form a major part of the investigation is the standard of customer service offered by the group.

Having come under fire in recent times, BAA has now conceded to how "the experience of too many passengers using London airports is unsatisfactory". However, it attributes the overcrowding to the insufficient size of terminals, and lack of capacity on runways.

The criticism fired at BAA has come from sources far and wide. As covered in previous Airport International News Items, BAA's critics include several prominent figures within industry, the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, and British Airways itself.

Among the airports under BAA's control are London Stansted, London Gatwick, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Southampton, in addition to Heathrow.

Source - Airport International's London Reporter