Pilot loses racism claim case

A British Airways (BA) pilot who claimed he had been victimised for being Scottish has lost his tribunal claim.

Douglas Maughan said he had been verbally abused by colleagues after he published an article in a national newspaper complaining of a culture of racism at the organisation.

The 54-year-old claimed a pilot trainer gave him a low score in a flying test in retaliation for the piece, with others calling him a “Jock” and urging that he return to Scotland.

Captain Adrian South, the examiner at the centre of the allegations, said he downgraded Mr Maughan from a level 1 to a level 3 pilot because he found him underwhelming at the controls.

The tribunal, held in Watford, found against the plaintiff, saying the trainer had nothing to gain from awarding the low score. The panel also pointed out that BA had warned members of staff they would be reprimanded if they abused Mr Maughan over the article.