Ryanair has lost a High Court bid in England to block strike action by its UK pilots – hours after winning a similar legal move in Dublin.

Both pilots on a Airbus passenger plane were asleep at the same time with the UK-operated aircraft flying on autopilot.

The heroism of the British Airways crew in Heathrow’s crash-landing drama emerged tonight when it was revealed the pilots had just seconds to get the aircraft down safely.

Unions reacted with fury and the threat of legal action today to news that 400 jobs and 12 routes are to be cut at budget airline Buzz.