Travelers flying with easyJet through Gatwick Airport (LGW) in May and June should prepare for severe flight disruptions. Refueling staff and ground workers are planning coordinated strike actions that could impact over 70% of the airline’s daily operations from the airport.
easyJet operates more than half of all departures from Gatwick, making it the largest airline at the UK’s second-busiest airport. According to UNITE, one of the UK and Ireland’s largest trade unions, the planned strikes threaten to ground or delay hundreds of flights, especially during the busy May half-term period.
The first round of strikes is set to begin on May 16, 2025, when fuel staff from Redline Oil Services, one of the major fueling services providers, will walk off the job for four days. A second four-day strike will follow from May 23 to May 27. These workers are responsible for fueling aircraft for several airlines, with easyJet among the most affected. UNITE estimates that these walkouts alone could disrupt more than 250 easyJet aircraft movements per day.
easyJet operations might be further strained by walkouts from ground staff employed by Red Handling. These workers, including baggage handlers, check-in staff, and flight dispatchers, plan to strike on May 11, 18, and 25, with another walkout scheduled for June 2. Red Handling supports around 50 flights per day for multiple airlines at Gatwick, including easyJet. This means the airline might face double the disruption from overlapping strike actions by two different service providers.
Dispute over pay
The root of the dispute is pay. Refueling staff from both Redline and World Fuel Services have rejected employer offers of between 3.5% and 4.25% in annual raises. UNITE members argue these offers fall far short of inflation and do not reflect the long hours and essential nature of their work. The workers are asking for a 6% raise in the first year, and a reduction in the standard working week from 45 hours to 39.
Meanwhile, Red Handling staff are protesting wage delays, incorrect pension payments, and management practices they say discourage union activity. UNITE accuses the company of “union busting” by hiring agency staff during earlier strikes and penalizing those who participated with worse shifts and interrogations.
“Workers at both companies have had enough of poor pay offers and appalling treatment from their employers. It is little surprise they are taking strike action. We will back our members at Red Handling and Redline all the way during these disputes,” Sharon Graham, UNITE’s general secretary, explained.
easyJet has not yet issued a full response to the planned industrial action. However, the airline is likely putting contingency plans in place to prepare for possible widespread disruption across at least three weekends.
The strikes fall during a critical time for air travel, especially the May half-term, when travelers across the UK plan holidays. Thousands of passengers might face last-minute cancellations, long delays, or rescheduled flights.
