Former BA steward says he suffered years of racial discrimination

A FORMER British Airways steward is suing the airline claiming he has suffered racist abuse for years at the company.

Despite being born in England, Nick Singh said he was told to "**** iff back to your own country" by a white steward. He was also called "a dirty black P***" by a BA pilot.

He took his allegations that racism "is commonplace" to senior managers. Last year, he was offered £25,000 to leave BA. He was reportedly sacked when he refused to accept the offer.

"They sacked me four days before Christmas," Singh was quoted as saying by Mail Online. "They offered me money to settle, but I want the public know what has been going on. I am sick of it."

Singh is claiming racial discrimination at an employment tribunal.

An air steward for three decades, Singh became Virgin Atlantic's first British-Indian steward in 1990. He moved to BA in 1997.

BA is believed to deny all of Singh's claims.

A spokesman said: "British Airways is a global company that operates to over 75 countries, and racism is not tolerated.

"We encourage a diverse and inclusive culture, and expect all our colleagues to treat each other with dignity and respect."

In February, BA suspended five pilots for sending racist and pornographic messages. An investigation was launched into racial discrimination after Boeing 777 captain Manish Patel alleged that he was often targeted with racist comments and inappropriate jokes.

Patel claimed that pilots called him "p*ki lad" and joked that he worked as a taxi driver or in a corner shop.

All of the sacked pilots were representatives for the pilots union Balpa.