In April, the airline started a restructuring and redundancy programme that could lead to up to 12,000 job losses due to the impact of the Covid-19 crisis.

The airline has said that more than 6,000 employees have applied for voluntary redundancy.

Earlier this week, British Airways pilots voted in favour of a new pay deal which pilots union Balpa said would help to stave off hundreds of redundancies.

BA cabin and ground crew who keep their jobs are likely to have to take deep pay cuts of up to 20%.

Earlier this week, Len McCluskey leader of union Unite, which represents BA crew and staff, called for the airline to offer the same deal to its members as pilots received.

"The reality is that the pilots were never faced with the drastic ‘fire and rehire’ strategy that is being imposed on the overwhelming majority of the BA workforce,” he said.

“I say to [BA parent company IAG chief executive] Willie Walsh, put the deal that you have agreed with pilots to the rest of the staff, and in doing so join with us as together we find a constructive and fair way through this crisis."