BA crew praised by unions for landing smoke-filled plane safely

Aviation unions have praised BA pilots and cabin crew for landing their plane safely and evacuating all passengers after their aircraft filled with smoke. One of the unions called for an inquiry into the incident in which nearly 200 people had to be evacuated from a BA flight after smoke poured into the cabin minutes before it was due to land in Valencia on Monday. Three people were taken to hospital after the incident and each was later discharged. Unite, the UK and Ireland’s largest union, has called for an inquiry into toxic cabin air and fume events on board jet airliners following Monday’s incident. Describing the event as the tip of the iceberg, Unite called on the airline industry to “come clean” over toxic cabin air and “clean up” its act by using safer oil to lubricate jet engines and fitting cabin air filters on board planes. Howard Beckett, Unite’s assistant general secretary for legal affairs, said: “This latest fume event is deeply alarming. British Airways has some serious questions to answer regarding the safety of the aircraft, in addition to providing health and safety guarantees for our cabin crew members. Unite said it is currently supporting 51 high court actions against five UK airlines after they said they found evidence that the air in most commercial airline cabins can cause irreversible neurological damage and chronic illness among susceptible individuals. Story has more.<br/>