About 93% of union members at Aviation Fuel Services who voted were in favour of a strike after having gone without a pay hike for three years, Unite said, adding that an initial 72-hour strike would begin July 21.

The union said a strike is likely to cause "considerable disruption and delays" throughout Heathrow where AFS provides fuelling services to more than 70 airlines including Virgin Atlantic, American Airlines, United, Delta and Air France and KLM.

(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; editing by William James)