Staff fears over Coventry Airport restructuring
24.01.08
Staff fear job losses at Coventry Airport after dozens of workers received notices to attend redundancy consultation meetings next week. Airport security, maintenance and aircraft refuellers are among those sent letters explaining that reduced flights at Baginton have coincided with the onset of winter schedules and fewer passengers.
After the airport was refused planning consent for the new terminal building last June, the number of flights has fallen. And while services to Poland with Wizz Air are increasing, the Thomsonfly flights to destinations including Paris, Amsterdam and Barcelona have been lost, at least temporarily.
Coventry Airport chief executive Chris Orphanou is still optimistic that an appeal to the High Court for a terminal building serving up to two million passengers a year will be successful. But some redundancies among maintenance staff have already been made and letters sent out last week have now raised the fear of job losses among the remaining 162-strong workforce.
Mr Orphanou said: 'I am upbeat about the future of the airport, but our plans and ideas have been set back by a year to 18 months. The letters are part of a consultancy procedure while we are restructuring our business for all concerned.'
Union leader Tony Higham, of the TGWU division of Unite, said: '"We are disappointed that the airport has not consulted us, although I am not surprised by the current situation. The airport was let down badly by the rejection of planning permission and since that decision they are now finding it hard to gain new business.'
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