The first officer of the British Airways flight had been declared fit to fly before taking his place in on the A3200-200 in Athens on January 2 in preparation for the four-hour journey to London, MailOnline has reported. But just four nautical miles away from Heathrow, he complained of feeling unwell while at the controls of the huge aircraft. The captain was forced to take full control and raised the alarm to the control tower as both men put on oxygen masks.

The A3200-200 landed safely on the tarmac at Heathrow just two minutes later but was then grounded for a further 48 hours while BA undertook an investigation.

The co-pilot was seen by an airport paramedic before being allowed to go home, with cabin crew and passengers completely oblivious to the drama that had taken place just metres away from them.

A BA spokesman denied claims made by airline insiders to MailOnline the first officer had fainted and was slumped over the control column in the cockpit as the plane was preparing to land.

The airline admitted he had fallen ill, the alarm was raised by the captain and oxygen masks were used.

They would not say what caused the first officer to feel unwell, but stressed “fume events” can be triggered by several reasons such as burnt food and e-cigarettes – even though these are banned on board.

The airline insisted it is standard practice for pilots to wear oxygen masks as a safety precaution if they think their breathing could be at risk from potentially dangerous odours that could impact on their ability to fly the plane.

A BA spokesman said: “The Captain landed the aircraft safely, and customers disembarked as normal.

“As the First Officer was feeling unwell, he was seen by an airport paramedic as a precaution, before going home.”

A spokesman for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said: “An incident was reported to the AAIB and we are investigating. When our investigation has concluded we will publish a report.”

But this is the latest major problem to hit BA, with almost 300 “fume events” reported on its flights last year and almost 100 cases of alleged ‘aerotoxicity’ are being brought against the airline.

BA is being sued by nearly 100 staff who allege their health has been impacted by the fumes from the engines on flights.

Unite – the union which represents cabin crew – has claimed pilots and crew are exposed to frequent “fume events”, which can lead to deteriorating health and life-threatening conditions.

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Howard Beckett, from Unite, said: “The airline industry cannot continue to hide from the issue of toxic cabin air whilst placing the health and safety of aircrew at risk.’

But a BA spokesman insisted: “We would never operate an aircraft if we believed it posed any health or safety risk to our customers or crew.

“Research commissioned by the European Aviation Safety Agency in 2017 concluded that the air quality on board aircraft was similar or better than that observed in normal indoor environments.

“Safety is our first priority and every report is thoroughly investigated, with typically 151 engineering checks before an aircraft is cleared to continue flying.

“Fume or odour events have been found to be caused by a wide range of issues, including burnt food in the oven, aerosols and e-cigarettes, strongly-smelling food in cabin bags, and de-icing fluid.”

Aviation experts say the most likely cause of a “fume event” is the result of a broken seal or an oil leak linked to a maintenance issue.

The additive tricresyl phosphate (TCP) is found in jet oil and aims to reduce wear and tear on the aircraft’s engines.

But it is a toxin that is said to smell like old socks and can cause nausea and vomiting to anyone who inhales it.

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