21 airlines will be hit by strike

Thousands of air passengers face chaos this weekend after the union representing many of Heathrow's baggage handlers today said there was "no hope" of avoiding strikes.

About 1,000 baggage handlers and check-in staff for 21 airlines - a quarter of the airport's operators - will stop work for 48 hours from 4.30am on Sunday, causing severe delays and some cancellations. Only Terminal 4 will be unaffected.

The dispute over jobs and pay involves Swissport which provides ground workers at the airport.

The walk-out by its employees coincides with one of Heathrow's busiest off-season weekends as families return from half-term breaks.

Airlines were told of the action by the Transport and General Workers' Union yesterday and have been scrambling to reroute planes or secure the services of rival baggage-handling firms.

Swissport's major customers, among them Aer Lingus, El Al, Malaysia and Singapore Airlines and Icelandair, will be handled by a skeleton staff, but delays are likely.

Several others, including Cyprus Airways, Kuwait Air, Middle East Airlines and Air China, have been left with no baggage handlers and must divert planes to Stansted or Gatwick or cancel flights.