British Airways has told staff that its Gatwick airport operation may not reopen after the coronavirus pandemic passes.

The admission came in a memo, written by the head of BA’s Gatwick hub and seen by BBC News.

BA’s Gatwick operation, which is currently suspended, is roughly a fifth as big as its Heathrow hub.

In a separate letter to pilots, BA said it cannot rule out suspending the rest of its Heathrow operation.

In the memo to Gatwick’s staff, the company says: “As you know, we suspended our Gatwick flying schedule at the start of April and there is no certainty as to when or if these services can or will return.”

In the letter to pilots, BA notes that some of its rivals abroad are facing tough competition. It adds that a quarter of BA’s 4,300 pilots are set to lose their jobs.

“We need to ensure that our remaining operation is efficient, flexible and cost-competitive to enable us to survive in an increasingly lean and unpredictable industry,” says the letter from senior management.

How will airlines get flying again?

On Tuesday, BA said it was set to cut up to 12,000 jobs from its 42,000-strong workforce because of a collapse in business due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

The airline’s parent company, IAG, said it needed to impose a “restructuring and redundancy programme” until demand for air travel returns to 2019 levels.

The pilots’ union Balpa said it was “devastated” and vowed to fight “every single” job cut.