Latest News from BALPA

Company Council elections Its approaching that time of year again where various CC positions will be open for Election as terms expire and members of the team step down. We are always keen to hear from individuals who may be interested in supporting the DHL pilot community, meeting regularly with the management team to influence and shape policy and achieve the best negotiated outcome. In the comi

Latest Developments on 20/10 Rostering & EMA/LHR Basing Proposals Dear Members, This update provides an overview of recent developments, including BALPA’s engagement with One Air, upcoming meetings, the next phase of member input, and the company’s latest communication to the pilot group. BALPA’s Engagement With One Air Following the survey and the concerns you raised, BALPA formally contacted One

Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your views and complete the recent survey. Your feedback has been invaluable in helping BALPA understand how pilots across One Air feel about the proposed 20/10 roster pattern and the EMA/Heathrow base arrangements. This update is for BALPA members only. A separate, limited communication will be issued to those who expressed interest in joining BALP

We would like to provide an update on three important matters currently affecting our pilot group.1. Pay negotiationsWe are now at the concluding stage of pay negotiations. The substantive elements of the agreement have been settled, and discussions are focused on final wording to ensure there is no ambiguity in interpretation. Clarity at this stage is critical. Once final language is agreed with

Summer 2026 BTRTWith the March roster publication, we now have trips rostered that will be governed by the summer BTRT data. We also have an open bidding window for April for LHR, MAN closed on the 12 February. How VAA expects pilots to be able to bid effectively without publication of the BTRT and the subsequent rulesets is a mystery. There is simply no reason why these tables should not have bee

Medical fitness to flyby BALPA OpsAvMed GroupAbout eighteen months ago we published an article explaining how a pilot’s life could be made far more exciting than intended by not declaring medical conditions which might make them unfit to fly to their aeromedical examiner (AME). If this is discovered (and these things invariably are) then the fun can really start with an unexpected offer from the r

We wanted to share an update on what your Company Council has been working on and what’s coming up over the next couple of weeks. Our aim is to keep you informed, connected, and confident that your issues are being actively progressed.Pilot surveyIf you haven’t already, please click here to complete the pilot survey. It really matters. The feedback will directly help shape what the Company Council

We would like to express our deepest sympathy and to send condolences to those affected by the fatal accident involving Satena Flight 8849 at Curasica, Playa de Belén, Colombia on 28 January 2026. Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the flight crew and passengers who lost their lives.

This weekend (23-26 January 2026), our new IT partner will migrate most of the BALPA servers from the previous supplier’s environment to theirs. To facilitate this, there will be some unavoidable downtime to all BALPA systems.  From 18:00 Friday 23 January 2026 to 09:00 Monday 26 January 2026 access to all BALPA systems will be restricted. This work is an essential part of our ongoing commitment t

British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) General Secretary Amy Leversidge, today, issued an urgent message to the House of Lords “Pass the Employment Rights Bill.”The call comes as the Bill returns to the Lords after MPs voted to remove amendments made by the Lords last week to plans to remove the cap on payouts for unfair dismissal.BALPA General Secretary, Amy Leversidge, said, “It is time for

The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) today condemned Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves’ Budget as “bad news for the aviation industry”. The budget raises Air Passenger Duty (APD), which BALPA says will hit families going on holiday the hardest. It also makes no provision to address the UK’s urgent need to train new pilots. The union - which represents over 10,000 UK airline pilot

The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) has today (Tuesday) welcomed the government’s decision to award the contract to build a third runway at Heathrow. BALPA also called on the government to think creatively about pilot training now to ensure maximum benefits of this expansion in the future.   The union, which represents over 10,000 pilots across the UK, is calling for the government to

Ahead of Budget Day, the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) has urged the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves to maximise the economic benefits of expanding Heathrow and Gatwick airports by making pilot training more affordable. The union - which represents over 10,000 UK pilots - warns that pilot training, currently costing over £100,000, is unaffordable for many young people today

We know being called into a grievance and disciplinary can be nerve-wracking and difficult without support. Our members know we’re here to support them every step of the way. That’s why BALPA ensures the very best training for staff and rep, who will be by your side when you need them. This week, BALPA HQ hosted Disciplinary and Grievance training for our representatives. A large amount of our rep

BALPA has given notice to Bristow Helicopters that it will call on its members to strike in March.  As you may have been aware of the ongoing dispute with Bristow Helicopters, we have been in negotiation with the company for months, but Bristow has failed to put forward any offer that its pilots and tech crew could support.  Following a strong ballot result of members within BALPA, which returned 

We would like to thank everybody for showing support for our fellow pilots and crew at Bristow Helicopters.Helicopter crews at Bristow Helicopters have now overwhelmingly voted in favour of industrial action in their dispute over pay.The ballot conducted among members of BALPA closed Wednesday, 7th February 2024, and returned a 96.31% YES vote on a 92.74% turnout. BALPA General Secretary, Amy Leve

BALPA's new General Secretary Amy has hit the ground running in her first month of the job and is keen to deliver for members. Just 4 weeks into her tenure, Amy has already been involved in high-level industrial negotiations, has set up meetings with government ministers and journalists, and is ensuring you're represented at a national and international level.  Amy is determined to cemen

Today on our social media channels, we're promoting our #SafetyStartsWith2 campaign in conjuction with a SKYbrary clip on safety risks associated with QNH entry errors on a NPA or RNP approach.You can view the clip here. That's why removing pilots from the flight deck is a gamble with safety. BALPA is joining pilots from around the globe, including IFALPA and the ECA, to engage in a worldwide camp

💙🗣️📢 Ensuring you have top-tier representation is what we do at BALPA. That's why we offer comprehensive training for our representatives in negotiation, handling grievances and disciplinaries, and much more.This training equips our reps with the skills needed to effectively advocate on your behalf. Plus, it connects them with our expert staff at BALPA, ensuring your voices are not just heard b

Winter storms don’t just challenge us with heavy snow and high winds, but also freezing rain “Ice Storms”. These can cause significant accumulation of Clear ice, which the aircraft anti/de-icing systems may not be able to cope with. This SKYbrary animation shows the best techniques and guidance to deal with the challenges posed by freezing rain, both in-flight, and on the ground. Watch the SKYbrar