A British Airways pilot has failed in his bid to sue the airline for discrimination

First officer Peter Burch was banned from flying for refusing to wear a mask during the Covid pandemic.

He told a tribunal in Watford he had ‘a right to breathe freely’ and likened his stance to a religious belief.

But the judge said beliefs could only be recognised under employment law if they did not harm others, which he would have risked doing by unwittingly spreading covid.