Eight UK airports including Birmingham, Manchester and Gatwick face flights having no food or drink this Christmas as staff threaten strike action

More than 700 Dnata staff could strike over Christmas which will hit major airlines at airports across the country. The strike threatens airlines such as easyJet, British Airways, Emirates and American Airlines.

According to Unite the union, there are production line, warehouse and delivery workers angry at the company’s attempts to change their terms and conditions without consultation. The industrial action ballot opened this week and will close on December 5, with strikes potentially being scheduled over the Christmas period.

If strikes do go ahead, fights with 10 airlines from Heathrow and three from Gatwick will be at risk. British Airways passengers to and from London City could also be impacted.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Dnata’s attempts to bypass its workers and force through damaging changes to terms and conditions will not be tolerated. Unite’s Dnata members have their union’s full and unflinching support in fighting its underhand attempts to impose these plans.” A Unite spokesperson said Dnata is refusing to consult with Unite on plans that could detrimentally impact how rostering, variable working, annualised hours, seasonal working, absence management and annual leave allocations are carried out.

Unite national officer for aviation Balvinder Bir said: “Strikes would have a serious impact on major airlines at eight UK airports and will be entirely the fault of Dnata. There is still time for industrial action to be avoided but that will require dnata entering into meaningful negotiations with Unite about the changes it is putting forward.”

Listed below are the airports and airlines set to be impacted if the strike goes ahead.

• Birmingham Airport: Emirates, TUI, EasyJet, Ryan Air and Air India
• Bristol Airport: easyJet, TUI and Ryanair
• Gatwick Airport:easyJet, TUI and Emirates
• Glasgow Airport: easyJet, Emirates and BA
• Heathrow: Emirates, American Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia airlines, China Air, Southern China, Air India, Royal Brunei Airline, Royal Jordanian, Kenya Airways
• Manchester Airport: easyJet, Ryanair, Emirates, TUI, Air Lingus, Singapore Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines
• Stansted Airport: Ryanair, TUI, Emirates

A Dnata catering and retail spokesperson hit out at the union and said: "Despite our continuous efforts to reach a fair solution, Unite has rejected our reasonable proposals to enhance wages and conditions and initiated a ballot for industrial action.

“We have already implemented and paid a salary increase to our team to address cost-of-living pressures and recognise their contributions to the company. Our current, competitive offer is in line with market conditions, reflecting industry standards and comparable roles in the sector.

“We are surprised and disappointed by the union's recent statement claiming we are changing terms and conditions without consultation, which is entirely inaccurate. We have consistently sought to engage in constructive discussions with the union throughout the negotiation process. We remain open to further dialogue and are committed to achieving an agreement that serves the interests of all parties and ensures the sustainability of our organisation.”