British Airways will boost its workforce at London’s Heathrow Airport by five percent to mitigate the risk of disruptions during the peak summer season.
The airline, owned by IAG SA, expects this summer to be its busiest since the pandemic began.
It also plans to hire almost 350 new customer service and ground handling employees.
A spokesperson for British Airways confirmed the company is also upgrading its computers and other technology at the Heathrow hub.
This staffing increase is part of a broader transformation plan by Chief Executive Officer Sean Doyle.
Doyle highlighted the airline’s improved on-time performance during the first quarter at the IATA annual meeting in Dubai.
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British Airways laid off thousands of employees during the Covid pandemic and has since faced challenges in rehiring as travel demand surged.
Additionally, the airline has grappled with frequent IT system failures, leading to last-minute flight cancellations.
Although British Airways is developing a new IT system, it will not be fully operational by this summer.
Therefore, the additional staff is essential to ensure smooth operations, the spokesperson added.
