So far 2,500 people have contacted BA following news that three of the airline's planes were grounded after becoming embroiled in the Alexander Litvinenko case, writes Dan Milmo.
BA must be concerned, after a year fraught with operational crises and PR stumbles, that many thousands more will shun the airline following the revelation that low traces of radiation have been found on two of the planes. Consumers' appetite for plane travel is a brittle thing, despite recent growth in air travel.
Passenger numbers dipped, understandably, after September 11 and the August terror scare hit profits at airlines flying out of Heathrow, led by BA, which lost £100m.
Of course BA's main concern is the wellbeing of the 33,000 passengers and 3,000 staff who used the three planes, who have been assured that the risk to their health is very low. However, another snowballing panic over the safety of flying - what will regular uses of the Heathrow to Moscow flight think? - must be close to second on the list.
That is why the airline's chief executive, Willie Walsh, rushed out of crisis management meetings last night to tell news broadcasters that the risks to passengers are low and that three helplines have been set up.
It is highly probable that the most lasting effect of yesterday's dramatic developments will be better leads for the police tracing Litvinenko's alleged killers, not another dent in BA's bottom line.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2008
