British Airways has lost an Appeal Court hearing to stop an impending pilots’ strike over a long-running pay dispute. The three senior judges refused to grant the airline a temporary injunction this Wednesday, having agreed that information provided to BA in a ballot notice was in accordance with the legislation which covers industrial action. This means that BALPA, the pilots’ union, can now give BA 14 days’ notice of when the strike will start, though it has yet to mention any specific dates.
BA is attempting to block the strike as it is estimated it will cost the airline up to £40 million (US$49 million) a day. The decision to go to the Court of Appeal was taken after the High Court had refused to grant BA an injunction earlier last week.