British Airways pilots will go on strike for three days next month in a long-running pay dispute with the airline.

Pilots' union Balpa announced Friday that the pilots will strike September 9, 10 and 27.

The airline lost a bid late last month in the Court of Appeal seeking a temporary injunction to prevent strikes by pilots based at London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

The union accuses BA is making massive profits at the expense of workers who made sacrifices during hard times.

BA says the union is "destroying the travel plans of tens of thousands of our customers with this unjustifiable strike action." The airline says it is pursuing "every avenue" to avoid industrial action.