As well as the sad loss of jobs, one has to wonder about BA's future provisions for aircraft maintenance. Of more immediate concern is the morale of those told they are on the way out. While none would be tempted to do anything stupid or illegal, they are sure to be distracted. It is only human to ponder the future.
The figures don't add up. The industry is very short of engineers world-wide and there has been much trade related discussion about this. For the sake of short-termism, BA (and maybe Britannia) are going to divest themselves of the one resource they will find hard to replace. This will only drive the aircraft to "maintenance providers"in the Far East where standards may not be as high as we expect here. Labour costs in the Far East are lower, but at what long term cost?
It is time the government started asking awkward questions of BA. Hard to justify the job losses compared with the millions spent on up-grading the Concorde fleet (to be considered apart from the necessary modifications after the dreadful crash in Paris last year).
I sincerely hope that all those who lose their jobs, from all sectors of BA, are successful in finding other employment.
