British Airways has record losses

British Airways yesterday plunged to its worst-ever loss of £45 million in the first quarter, and said the cost of last week’s wildcat swipe card strike could be £40 million.

The airline suffered during the three months to the end of June from the war in Iraq and the flu-like Sars virus.

The damage came on top of the generally weaker demand for air travel caused by the global economic downturn.