Strikes that would have shut down seven airports including Heathrow and Gatwick twice over the next fortnight have been cancelled.

Union officials meeting this morning decided a concession made by the airport authority BAA on a controversial new pension policy was adequate to call off the union action.

This afternoon's decision was not entirely unexpected. A walkout by thousands of firefighters, security and clerical workers scheduled for next Monday had already been cancelled and the expectation was that further stoppages planned for January 14 and January 17/18 would not go ahead.

Unions had threatened industrial action after BAA attempted to end the final salary pension scheme for new workers.

The Unite union said today that an agreement had been reached in principle to hold "proper consultations" over the future of BAA's pension scheme before any changes were made.

Representatives from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Southampton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports met to discuss whether the BAA pledge was sufficient to call off industrial action.

If it hadn't been, these seven airports would have closed twice in January, the Unite union said.

Speaking at the time Unite union members voted to strike on the 21st December, Unite national aviation secretary Brendan Gold said "BAA has just posted profits of over five hundred million pounds and the Spanish owners Ferrovial have seen their profits rise by nearly sixty per cent. It is clear that our members' pension scheme is financially sound, and should be left alone".

Gold said the Unite union had delayed industrial action till after Christmas to avoid disrupting passenger trips.