The first of a series of new year strikes by workers at seven airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick, was called off tonight following a breakthrough in peace talks over a row about pensions.
Thousands of firefighters, security and clerical workers were due to walk out for 24 hours next Monday in the first of three stoppages in protest at a decision by BAA to close its final salary pension scheme to new workers.
Following several hours of negotiations today, officials from the Unite union said an agreement had been reached in principle to hold "proper consultations" over the future of the pension scheme before any changes are made.
The agreement will be discussed by union representatives on Thursday but in the meantime next Monday's strike has been called off.
Further strikes planned for January 14 and January 17/18 will be called off if the deal is accepted by the union representatives on Thursday.
A union spokesman said: "The company has agreed there will be proper discussions before any decision is reached on the future of the pension scheme."
The breakthrough came after almost eight hours of talks at a secret location between leaders of Unite and the Public and Commercial Services union and officials from BAA.
Hopes had risen during the day that a deal could be reached after both sides expressed optimism that industrial action could be avoided. The breakthrough will come as a huge relief to hundreds of thousands of travellers who faced chaos if next week's strike had gone ahead.
Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Southampton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen Airports would have been closed by next week's walkout.
Travellers returning to the UK this weekend would also have had their plans disrupted.
The unions had warned BAA and its Spanish owner, Ferrovial, that they had to reverse the decision to close the pension scheme to new workers before the industrial action was halted.
Workers voted by 2-1 for strike action in a pre-Christmas ballot and were said to be determined to go on strike to secure the pension scheme for future as well as current employees.
