Two British Airways planes were covered in five tons of foam leaving a six-figure clean-up bill, with staff reportedly blaming disgruntled...
Two British Airways planes were covered in five tons of foam leaving a six-figure clean-up bill, with staff reportedly blaming disgruntled employees amid claims of 'sabotage'.
The Boeing 777 and 787 were engulfed in fire retardant at London's Heathrow airport on Sunday.
It was announced last week that up to 12,000 jobs will be lost at BA, representing more than a quarter of the workforce.
Some of the 931 engineers among those being sacked were at the scene on Sunday, according to a newspaper report.
A video, above, shows foam gushing out of the British Airways plane in the hangar at London's Heathrow airport on Sunday. The airline say the incident was due to a technical fault
A source told The Sun: 'There's a lot of p***ed off people at BA at the moment and suddenly two of their jets have been ruined.
'Suppressant foam is not easy to clear up. This mess is going to take weeks to sort out. It's ruined the tools, aircraft, everything in sight.
'BA staff claimed sabotage. There is so much anger.'
But a BA spokesman said it is a technical issue, pointing the blame towards one of their fire prevention systems.
The aircraft which was in the hangar is not believed to be damaged.
It follows BA announcing plans to reduce its headcount by a quarter while its Spanish parent company signed a £900m loan with the Madrid government to save jobs at Iberia and Vueling.
BA is part of the International Airlines Group who have said they have no intention of seeking a similar bailout from the British government.
In a letter to staff, BA chief executive Alex Cruz wrote: 'There is no Government bailout standing by for BA.'
The BA plane with its wheels seen in the foam at London's Heathrow airport. The aircraft in the hangar is not believed to be damaged and is said to have experienced a 'technical issue'
A nearby van can be seen partially submerged in the foam, alongside nearby equipment. It follows an announcement last week that 12,000 jobs will be lost at the airline
The foam seen spreading outwards as the area is engulfed in fire retardant. A BA spokesperson said the foam was dispersed 'as part of a safety feature'
The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) has warned the industry is facing a 'tsunami of job losses' amid the pandemic.
Brian Strutton, BALPA's general secretary, said: 'Before coronavirus the UK aviation industry was world leading. But now aviation workers are facing a Tsunami of job losses.
'There is no more time for delay. The UK Government should follow the example set by others in Europe and around the world, recognise that aviation is vital to the UK economy and keep to the promise made by the Chancellor on 17 March to help airlines.
'Without swift action, UK aviation will fall behind our global competitors and it simply won't be there to aid recovery when the demand returns.
'Aviation will suffer, and so too will the industries that rely on aviation indirectly and our ability to trade on a global scale. That can only be bad for the UK economy.'
A British Airways spokesperson told MailOnline: 'One of our fire prevention systems in our hanger experienced a technical issue causing foam to be dispersed as part of a safety feature.'
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