A Muslim airline pilot who was sacked after links were discovered to two suspected terrorists told an employment tribunal today that an "air of suspicion" had been created around him because of his race and religion.
The British man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was suspended by the major airline after he was arrested by the Metropolitan Police in October 2007 who were investigating two suspects.
The pilot was linked to the pair through his brother who was a business partner with one of them.
The arrest led to the airline suspending his flight crewpass in order to carry out a full security review of his position which led ultimately to his dismissal in October 2010.
The pilot who is claiming racial discrimination at the hearing in Havant, Hampshire, said that he believed that he had been targeted because he was Asian and a Muslim.
He said that he believed the airline had created a system specifically to handle his situation and to ensure he was removed from the company.
He said: "They had made it up to deal with my race and religion."
He said that by using terms such as "suspected terrorist", the company "had created that air of suspicion that something was going on when it wasn't."
The hearing was told that the claimant had applied to be transferred to three non-flying positions within the airline and had claimed that he had been discriminated against.
But during today's hearing he admitted that he had scored badly in the application process.
The tribunal heard that he had applied for a fourth position as a trainer but had withdrawn his application after falling ill.
The pilot had also claimed he had been discriminated against by being refused flight pay during his security review.
But during the hearing he accepted the company's regulations could be interpreted to show that he was not entitled to such pay in his situation.
A statement released by the airline said: "The safety and security of our customers, aircraft and employees is always our number one priority and we will never compromise this area of our business.
"Following information from the police, we carried out a thorough investigation and risk analysis and concluded that an employee was not suitable to work in their role.
"We reject his allegations of discrimination and we will be resisting the claims made against us."
The hearing continues.
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