British Airways is one of several airlines instructing its pilots to take on extra fuel to help jets cope with having to hold for an extra hour in the skies over the Capital during the week-long walkout. According to a senior aviation source, the contingency was “essential but extremely costly” and a “huge setback” to a sector that was already struggling to rebuild after the pandemic’s devastation on global travel. Except for December 27, approximately 1,000 Border Force employees who are members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) are on strike every day from today until the end of the year. The passport control strike is affecting Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport. Staff at Gatwick, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, and the Port of Newhaven are also on strike. Airports have contingencies in place to help reduce delays, including the use of military personnel at passport control. However, Steve Dann, Chief Operating Officer at Border Force, stated that he could not rule out the possibility of some airports being forced to close for an extended period of time. The delays are expected to be felt most acutely at London’s two airports, where planes are frequently forced to join holding patterns for lengthy landing slots. An internal memo from British Airways management to the airline’s pilots instructing them to carry an extra hour of fuel for long-haul flights arriving in London. Short-haul pilots are being told to bring an extra 30 minutes of fuel into London, Manchester, and Glasgow.  

BA planes flying into London usually have an extra 30-minute fuel reserve to compensate for having to hold over the capital. The additional fuel on top of that will cost BA millions over the course of the week-long strike. Similar contingencies are being implemented by other airlines, who are also facing significant additional fuel costs. According to a senior aviation source, air traffic controllers may be forced to place passenger jets in long holding patterns. He stated: “The problem with long lines at passport controls is that as they grow, airport authorities are likely to ask pilots of landed planes to hold at the terminal gates and not allow their passengers to disembark. “Other arriving aircraft, of course, cannot use those gates in the meantime, and they cannot simply wait on the taxiways. “It can quickly become very crowded on the ground, so flying in a holding pattern or diverting to another strike-free airport may be necessary. Either option consumes more fuel.” According to the source: “This is the last thing airlines need as they try to rebuild their businesses following the demise of Covid. “It is not as simple for airlines to simply provide an extra hour of fuel for every long-distance flight. “According to the math, adding more fuel also adds weight, which requires you to burn even more fuel to carry that extra weight. “And when you’re on a 14-hour flight back from Singapore, carrying that extra weight over such a long period of time quickly adds up. “So, in your fuel calculations, you need to add a lot more than just an extra hour’s worth.” A long-distance flight can consume between 5 and 8 tonnes of fuel per hour on average, depending on its weight or load. A typical transatlantic flight from New York to London can consume approximately 40 tonnes of fuel at a cost of approximately £27,000. The requirement for an extra hour of fuel would add £6,500 to that cost. According to a source in the aviation industry “With over 1000 flights landing at Heathrow every day, the cost to the airline industry of an eight-day walkout will be enormous, and that additional cost will eventually be passed down the line to the weary passenger in the form of higher ticket prices.”

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