Five British Airways Pilots Suspended Over Racist, Obscene Messages

A handful of British Airways pilots have been suspended after it was found that they allegedly sent each other offensive messages containing obscene material. The allegations were brought forth by former BA captain Manish Patel, who says he received offensive messages from colleague Brendan O’Neal.

Five British Airways (BA) pilots have been suspended after they allegedly sent each other messages containing racist and pornographic material, The Daily Mail reports. All those involved were also representatives for the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA).

According to The Independent, BA was made aware of these allegations by Manish Patel, a former captain with the carrier. Specifically, Patel has stated that he received offensive messages from Brendan O’Neal, another BA captain. O’Neal also served as the former executive president of BALPA.

In light of the allegations, which were discovered by the carrier late last week, The Daily Mail reports that O’Neal has now left his role with BALPA.

Offering his comments to The Independent, Brian Strutton, the union’s general secretary, said, “We accept and regret that in the past there have been cases of inappropriate behaviors and emails passing among a small number of BALPA representatives.”

“We are committed to ensuring a good, modern day work environment within the organization. We have taken and will continue to take appropriate steps to maintain standards and enforce our values, to include education and, if necessary, disciplinary action. Brendan O’Neal has decided to step down from his position as executive president of BALPA with immediate effect,” he added.

In an official statement, a spokesperson for BA told the outlet, “We are appalled to learn of this behavior, which does not reflect the values of our company. We are standing by our colleague to give him our support in every way possible, and urgently looking into this matter.”