BA To Close BMI's Belfast Base

British Airway's (BA) owned BMI is likely to close its Belfast base, at George Best City Airport, putting at least 60 jobs in the firing line.

Following talks with workers unions yesterday trade union Unite said they had information that British Airways are going to close the Belfast base and make people redundant.

The airline employs 100 staff in Belfast. This is made up of 60 customer service staff, 30 cabin crew and 10 engineers.

It’s understood the jobs of customer service staff would be made redundant, though some of the roles could be transferred to aviation service operators. Cabin crew and engineers are expected to be offered the option to relocate to London or commute there.

British Airways hasn’t communicated to the staff if there’s an alternative to closure.

Keith Williams, British Airways’ Chief Executive, said: "BMI is heavily loss making and is not a viable business as it stands today. Our proposals would secure around 1,500 jobs that would otherwise have been lost. As we look to restructure the business and restore profitability, job losses are deeply regrettable but inevitable. We will work with the unions to explore as many options as possible and are already working with industry partners."

BMI is reported to have been losing around £3m per week and currently operates out of Belfast City Airport with daily flights to Heathrow, which have not been affected by the deal.

(LB/GK)