Nearly All British Airways Flights Canceled As Pilots Union Goes On Strike

British Airways has been forced to cancel nearly all of its flights for Monday and Tuesday after the British pilots union went on strike, promising more turmoil ahead for the British aviation industry, CNN reports.

The strike was called by the British Airline Pilots Association amid a heated dispute with the airline over pay. BALPA said Sunday that it had delivered a proposal to the carrier’s management Wednesday, but had yet to receive a reply.

We put forward a proposal to BA management last Wednesday that would have enabled us to call off the strikes for Monday and Tuesday.

BA didn’t reply.#BAstrike https://t.co/xV8gWKYNwS

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— BALPA (@BALPApilots) September 8, 2019

One day of strike action will cost BA, on their own figures, £40m. The difference between us now is £5m. Why won’t they work with us to end this dispute?#BAstrike

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— BALPA (@BALPApilots) September 8, 2019

British Airways said in a statement on Monday that it remains “ready and willing to return to talks with BALPA.”

The airline said it was forced to cancel so many flights because “with no detail from BALPA on which pilots would strike, we had no way of predicting how many would come to work or which aircraft they are qualified to fly.”

Customers who had flights booked for Monday and Tuesday will likely “not be able to travel as planned,” British Airways said. It advised travelers not to travel to the airport.

Members of the pilots’ union voted 93% in favor of a strike in July. BALPA said last week that it would be willing to call it off if British Airways returned to the negotiating table. BALPA represents more than 10,000 pilots in the UK, more than 85% of all commercial pilots who fly there.