A senior British Airways pilot has reportedly escaped dismissal after being caught on camera taking food and coffee without paying at the airline’s Waterside headquarters near London Heathrow.
According to British tabloid The Sun, the captain — a veteran Airbus A380 training pilot earning around £170,000 per year — was seen on CCTV helping himself to sausage rolls, sandwiches, crisps, and drinks from a self-service café used by staff. He was allegedly not alone, as other senior managers were also recorded bypassing the self-checkout tills.
The pilot, nicknamed by colleagues the “Great Plane Robber,” was summoned by management after repeatedly failing to pay. Despite being grilled by bosses, he was allowed to continue flying passengers and received only a warning.
The decision sparked anger among staff, with some pointing to double standards in disciplinary action. “If this had been cabin crew on less than £30,000 a year, they would have been shown the door,” one employee told the tabloid. Another source expressed disbelief that someone with such a high salary would resort to shoplifting to save “a few pennies.”
British Airways has not issued a public comment on the case.