Why has strike action closed Norwich Airport?

Norwich Airport has been closed due to industrial action by air traffic control staff, causing disruption to hundreds of passengers. But how did it get to this point, what are union members unhappy with and what does it mean for people travelling?

Air traffic control members of the union Prospect voted in favour of strike action earlier this month.

It said its members were paid "significantly less than the UK market rate and have substandard maternity and paternity cover", and demanded the airport make improvements.

Starting on 17 August, members have commenced action short of a strike - which means staff work strictly to contracts and there is no swapping of shifts or non-contractually obligated overtime.

On 18 August, Prospect announced its members would take one day of strike action on 28 August after the airport had failed "to make a new offer to attempt to resolve the dispute".

There have already been some cancellations and disruption this month, but the union said this had been "occurring regularly even when industrial action is not taking place and is caused by a chronic shortage of personnel".

Prospect said talks were held with the airport on Wednesday, but the offer it was given "still fell well short of demands making it impossible for a shift" in its position.

David Avery, Prospect national secretary, said members "have no choice but to continue with strike action as planned".

"We appreciate that this will cause disruption for some passengers but when an employer treats staff with so little respect they have no option but to stick to their guns," he said.

"Norwich Airport can avert further strike action but they have to give us an offer which is competitive with the rest of the country.

"We are no longer prepared to provide the goodwill upon which the airport has been operating."

The strike will go on for 24 hours on Friday, meaning no flights will operate to or from the airport for the entirety of the day.

The airport said airlines had been informed and passengers should check with them about the latest information for their flights.

TUI, KLM, Ryanair and Loganair all operate out of the airport.

A TUI spokesperson said it was aware of the strikes and had "made the necessary preparations to ensure our customers can enjoy their holidays as planned".

It said its customers would be informed and it was expected some passengers would instead be flown from Southend Airport in Essex.

KLM said passengers who were unable to fly would be rebooked.

A Ryanair spokesperson said it did not expect any disruption to its operations while Loganair has been approached for comment.

The airport is also home to the East Anglian Air Ambulance, which confirmed the action would have "minimal impact on our ability to provide critical care".

A Norwich Airport spokesperson said it had made a substantial and responsible offer to Prospect members.

It had given a 3.5% pay increase in April and was now offering a further 3% consolidated increase from July, with another 3% from April next year.

It said this was alongside an additional 2% retention allowance, that employees could choose to direct into their pension through salary sacrifice.

"The employees concerned have received pay increases totalling approximately 25% over the past three years, and our benchmarking shows our latest offer would result in most roles being paid at or above the average for comparable regional airports," the spokesperson said.

"Prospect is also seeking four weeks' paid paternity leave and enhanced maternity provision for this group.

"Introducing benefits for one small group that are not available to the wider workforce would not be fair or financially sustainable for Norwich Airport."

They added that the union had "not provided constructive feedback" and its offer remained available.

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