BA staff told they must work after contact with cabin crew member and three pilots who tested positive coronavirus
AIR crew were flying yesterday despite working alongside a colleague who tested positive for coronavirus.
British Airways bosses were accused of putting staff and passengers at risk after ordering the workforce not to self-isolate and return to the skies.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
1
But BA claimed it was carrying out government advice.
One of 15 cabin crew and three pilots on a Boeing 747 tested positive for Covid-19 after flying to Dubai.
All of the flying staff were subject to nasal swabs after Flight BA109 arrived in the emirate on Saturday.
The examination - so invasive it left one steward with a nose bleed - is a requirement for all crews arriving in Dubai, although no such test is required for staff arriving in the UK.
The test results came back 48-hours later, after which time the same staff had operated the return Flight BA108 back to Heathrow, arriving later on Saturday.
Dubai health officials informed BA of the positive test result, and an airline manager contacted each crew member on the flight with the news.
But to widespread amazement the airline instruction to crew was there’s “no need to self-isolate unless you show any symptoms”.
By the time one of the crew had been told of the positive test, he had already been to visit his 93-year-old nan.Most of the crew members were back in to work and flying on BA jets today.Angry staff, who had been holed up in a Dubai hotel, shuttles buses, and working in close quarters alongside the infected colleague for eight hour flights to and from Dubai, complained to their union.
Unite last night told The Sun the entire crew and all passengers on both inbound and outbound services to Dubai should be in isolation.
A stunned BA worker told The Sun: “It is the entry requirement in Dubai that crew must be swabbed and this duly happened.
“But only when the crew had returned home was it confirmed that a colleague had coronavirus.
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS - BE IN THE KNOW
Don't miss the latest news and figures - and essential advice for you and your family.
To receive The Sun's Coronavirus newsletter in your inbox every tea time, sign up here.
To follow us on Facebook, simply 'Like' our Coronavirus page.
Get Britain's best-selling newspaper delivered to your smartphone or tablet each day - find out more.
“Incredibly all staff were told no further action is required, unless they showed Covid-19 symptoms.
“The rest of the frontline BA team were told they don’t need to self isolate.
“It means we have a live case of coronavirus that BA does not appear concerned about. Passengers and staff are at risk.
“The crew were due to work on other flights knowing staff could all be infected, and passing on coronavirus.
“Workers should be self-isolating with their families and could be a walking time-bomb.
“Staff are fuming that so little is seemingly being done and they’re being treated with such disregard.”
BA crew were so incensed by the “lack of action” by bosses they complained to the Unite union, who have taken up the case with airline officials.
Crews arriving in foreign airports are forced to be swabbed for coronavirus before being allowed through Customs - but there is no such procedure for air staff arriving in the UK.
BA boss Alex Cruz has announced the airline faces a “battle for survival” as he grounded jets and vastly reduced its timetable.
Last night BA told The Sun: “We are following medical advice from Public Health England. The safety and welfare of our customers and crew is always our priority.”
But a Unite union spokesperson told The Sun: “This is a very serious matter.
“The government advice is clearly inadequate and needs revision and conflicts with the advice for individuals.
“It is vital that British Airways ensures that the entire crew immediately self-isolates and are paid in full during this time.
"The passengers on both the inbound and outbound flight must all be immediately informed about the positive coronavirus test."
