British Airways prepares to reduce Gatwick flights

British Airways is likely to reduce its network of short-haul flights by as much as 20 percent and it is believed that these cutbacks will be most strongly felt at London’s Gatwick Airport. Despite earlier reports which suggested that most other UK airports would not be affected by the grounding of planes and flight cutbacks, unnamed sources have now indicated that British Airways’ Heathrow-based operations may also face reductions, although these will be nowhere as dramatic as the reductions expected at Gatwick.

Although these British Airways cutbacks have not yet been officially confirmed, the carrier is likely to elaborate on its precise plans this Friday, when the newly trimmed schedule will be made public. Additionally, the UK’s flag carrier will also offer a financial update and part of this will include information on its performance earlier this year. Most analysts predict that lackluster or downright negative news is coming, and this means that the value of BA shares may also take a hit later this week and financial analysts are all but certain to offer a less positive prognosis when it comes to the carrier’s year-end fiscal outlook. The fact that BA is still dealing with the consequences of price fixing charges-together with Virgin Atlantic-only makes this period even more troubled for the company. Some newspapers suggest that Willie Walsh, BA’s chief executive officer, may find himself faced with some very tough and unpleasant questions about the damaging price fixing fiasco.

Thank you to Investment Markets for the initial reporting.

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