Up to 1,200 BMI jobs are set to be lost following the airline’s takeover by British Airways’ parent International Airlines Group.
BA expects to secure 1,500 BMI jobs as it integrates BMI’s mainline operations. These include the transfer of around 1,100 cabin crew, pilots and engineers based at Heathrow.
Up to 400 passenger services jobs would be safeguarded at Terminal 1.
The proposed UK redundancies would mainly be roles based at BMI’s head office at Castle Donington and at regional airports.
BA is to work on potential job opportunities with industry partners in the Midlands, such as Rolls-Royce, and will look to create jobs at its engineering facility in Glasgow from January 2014 when a contract for BMI aircraft heavy maintenance work outside the UK expires.
Consultation with unions “will seek to reduce the number and mitigate the impact of the proposed redundancies, including the potential to offer vacancies within British Airways at Heathrow,” the airline said.
“BMI is losing more than £3 million a week and, without this acquisition, was facing closure with the potential loss of all 2,700 UK based jobs,” BA added.
The £172 million deal gives BA an additional 56 average daily slot pairs at Heathrow, of which up to 14 will be available to other carriers.
The integration includes repainting BMI mainline aircraft in British Airways’ livery.
Discussions with potential buyers for Bmibaby and BMI Regional are continuing.
BA chief executive Keith Williams said: “BMI is heavily loss making and is not a viable business as it stands today.
“Our proposals would secure around 1,500 jobs that would otherwise have been lost. As we look to restructure the business and restore profitability, job losses are deeply regrettable but inevitable.
“We will work with the unions to explore as many options as possible and are already working with industry partners.
“This deal is good news for our customers and will offer new destinations, new routes and new schedules in due course.
“For customers with BMI bookings to or from Heathrow this summer, it is business as usual and customers can continue to book with confidence.”