Gridlock fears at Heathrow over UK strike

(AP) The owner of London's Heathrow Airport says a nationwide public-sector strike next week threatens to paralyze operations at Europe's busiest airport.

BAA says there are likely to be 12-hour delays for arriving passengers because the November 30 strike will hit the UK border agency's ability to support normal operations.

The airport operator warns of "gridlock" at the airport because delays at immigration are likely to be so long that passengers will need to be held on planes, which would take up aircraft parking slots and lead to "mass cancellations of departing aircraft and diversions outside the UK"

In a letter written to the airline community and shown to the Associated Press on Friday, BAA urged carriers to reduce load factors on arrivals on November 30.