British Airways pilots are understood to have pulled tens of millions of pounds from the company's pension scheme this year due to fears that industrial action by cabin crew could endanger the future of the scheme and risk it falling into the hands of the UK's pensions lifeboat, the Pension Protection Fund.

So far this year, pilots with combined pension pots amounting to at least £20m (€23.1m) have pulled the assets they have built through company and personal contributions out of the main BA-run pension schemes, according to Hargreaves Lansdown, the UK's largest personal financial adviser, which has had requests from pilots looking to move their assets.