Five UK airlines have been taken to court over alleged toxic air, which may have been the cause of chronic health issues among inflight staff.
EasyJet, British Airways, Thomas Cook Airlines, Jet2 and Virgin Atlantic have been served to appear in court and hear some 51 claims related toxic fumes.
According to the Independent.co.uk, court actions involve airline staff who claim to have experienced chronic illness due to poor air quality.
Image: Ian Simmonds/Unsplash
Four of the lawsuits are believed to have come from pilots and the other 47 from cabin crew.
Airline staff’s representatives, Unite, conducted an independent study that found onboard jet planes contain a mix of chemicals and compounds that can “potentially damage the nervous system” and lead to chronic illness in “susceptible people”.
“The airline industry cannot continue to hide from the issue of toxic cabin air whilst placing the health and safety of aircrew at risk.”
Howard Beckett, Unite Assistant General Secretary for Legal Services
He said the firm will use “every avenue” to correct the issue and ensure airlines “clean up the cabin air on jet planes”.
“This must include using different oils to lubricate jet engines, better monitoring of cabin air, installing air filters and manufacturing planes that bring compressed air straight from the atmosphere,” he added.
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