Another former pilot, Susan Michaelis, who completed her PhD thesis on the subject last week, said profit was being placed above the health and safety of passengers and crews. “Crews and passengers breathing contaminated air are exposed to serious in-flight safety hazards with potential adverse health affects,” her study said.

Ministers in the last Labour government were briefed on the problem three years ago and, according to a senior Whitehall source, were told it was being “hyped up” by a “small group of conspiracy theorists”.
However, the ministers got a handful of airlines to agree to tests being conducted by experts at Cranfield University.
Their report was completed last year but the Department for Transport is yet to publish it.

Boeing’s latest plane, the 787 Dreamliner solves the problem by re-directing air sources away from possible engine oil leaks.