British Airways caterer Gate Gourmet said today it has reached a deal with union officials to end a long-running industrial dispute at Heathrow airport.
The company said details of the deal, which must be ratified by Gate Gourmet's board and union chiefs, will be released on Wednesday after staff have been informed.
The breakthrough comes after weeks of talks between the US-owned caterer and union officials over the fate of hundreds of staff sacked in August.
The workers were dismissed after they walked off the job in protest against the hiring of temporary seasonal workers. This triggered a sympathy strike by BA workers at Heathrow.
More than 100,000 passengers were stranded during the peak holiday season at the world' busiest international airport. Passengers slept in and around the airport terminal for days in the ensuing chaos.
Gate Gourmet and the union had been discussing details of a redundancy programme to resolve the dispute. By Sunday, unions officials said Gate Gourmet had received applications for redundancy from 700 of its staff.
About 300 of the applications came from staff fired last month, while a further 400 came from employees still working at Gate Gourmet, according to the TGWU.
The caterer is seeking to cut 670 jobs from its 2,000-strong workforce to ensure its financial survival.
BA has been unable to provide normal on-board catering on all its flights for more than a month since the dispute first broke out. BA is Gate Gourmet's biggest British customer.
The airline said passenger traffic fell 0.7 per cent in August after the strike led to the cancellation of more than 700 flights.