Norwich Airport: air traffic control strike to close the airport on 28 August 2026

Prospect has set Friday 28 August 2026 as a one-day strike by air traffic control staff at Norwich Airport, in a dispute over pay, terms and conditions. The union says the airport will be unable to operate that day unless a deal is reached.

Separately, action short of a strike has been under way since Monday 17 August: working strictly to contract, no non-contractual overtime, no shift swapping and withdrawal of goodwill. Because air traffic control is heavily understaffed and the airport regularly depends on staff goodwill to reach safe minimum staffing, this action alone is expected to cause disruption and possible closures before the strike day.

The dispute: Prospect is seeking a 10% rise to bring pay in line with other UK air traffic control units, against an offer of 3% for 2026 and 3% for 2027, plus improved maternity and paternity provision, which currently sits at the statutory minimum. In the ballot, turnout was 100%: all members backed action short of a strike and 78% backed strike action.