Leeds Bradford Airport is set for a standstill as almost 130 workers will take industrial action over pay.
The Unite members are a mixture of air traffic control workers, customer experience staff, security staff and cleaners.
Workers involved in the dispute have recently come out of a four-year pay deal and some of the departments have fallen behind other airports in equivalent roles. Pay talks have been happening since December 2025 with the airport's formal offer not going far enough to address the lack of pay parity.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:
"Leeds Bradford Airport is very profitable and can more than afford to come back to the table with an offer that doesn't fall short of our members' expectations.
"Our hardworking members should not be paid less than those doing the same jobs at other airports. Workers taking action at Leeds Bradford Airport have Unite's full support in their fight for fairer pay."
The airport reported a turnover of £61.5m for the year ending 31 March 2025, up 14 per cent from £54m the previous year and the highest ever levels achieved by it.
In May, it was partially taken over by Spanish company AENA which owns a 51 per cent majority stake at Leeds Bradford Airport as part of a £270 million holding company deal.
Leeds Bradford Airport is on course to handle approximately 4.5 million passengers this year, and this number has grown year-on-year in recent years. It flies to popular holiday destinations including Alicante, Spain, Tenerife and Antalya, Turkey.
Strikes will take place from 03:00 Friday 16 October to 06:00 Sunday 18 October for hourly paid staff and from 06:00 Friday 16 October to 06:00 Sunday 18 October for air traffic control workers.
Industrial action will cause the airport to shut down, as no flights would be able to fly in and out without air traffic control and nobody would be able to depart or arrive without passport control. There would also be nobody within the terminal to assist with passengers.
Unite regional officer Neil Whitaker said:
"We know people who have flights planned to and from Leeds Bradford Airport will be concerned to hear of industrial action, however our members have no choice but to strike.
"The airport is profitable, passenger numbers are growing and our members are a major part of its success. They deserve a fair pay rise, and management must come back to the table to deliver this."
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