All three pilots on British Airways flight hit with food poisoning in mid-air

Brooke Davies | Senior News reporter Published July 22, 2026 4:29pm Updated July 22, 2026 4:29pm The first pilot was rendered ‘incapacitated’ at 30,000 ft and had to be put on oxygen (Picture: Getty Images) Three pilots on board a British Airways flight suffered food poisoning while mid-air, which is almost exactly the plot of hit comedy Airplane! All the pilots on board the flight to Heathrow became ill after a stopover in India. The first pilot was rendered ‘incapacitated’ at 30,000 ft and had to be put on oxygen. The other two pilots managed to work but their symptoms continued to worsen. Despite the plane nearly being left without anyone able to fly it, British Airways said the safety of passengers was ‘not compromised.’ They told The Sun: ‘He underwent a 12-hour operation after being