Thousands of passengers had flights cancelled yesterday as British Airways struggled to resume normal service after the three-day strike.Nearly 200 flights about one in five – were affected and London’s Heathrow bore the brunt of the disruption. The action cost BA £21million but the troubled airline argued against its effectiveness, claiming it was able to keep 65% of its passengers flying through its use of strike-breaking crew and charter planes.

With no talks planned in the dispute over cuts and changes to working practice, Unite is set to call on its 12,000 cabin crew to walk out again for four days this weekend. Leader Tony Woodley said: I don’t see willingness on the part of BA to get a settlement.The unrest gripping the aviation industry was underlined yesterday as pilots in Germany and Portugal also announced strikes.Europe’s biggest airline, Lufthansa, faces a fourday walkout in April and flyers at TAP Portugal have voted to down tools for six days from Friday to press their claim for higher pay.