The airline said the job cuts would involve 1,000 cabin crew taking voluntary redundancy and a further 3,000 choosing to go part-time, and would come into place from the end of next month.

The airline also announced it would continue with plans to recruit new staff on different terms and conditions to current employees.

The Unite union will meet in the next few days to consider the next move, which could include canvassing crew members on the possibility of a strike.

A statement from the airline said: “Revenues are down, so we must reduce costs and restore profitability. Thousands of staff across the airline have already made contributions to the cost reduction programme.”

Earlier this year chief executive Willie Walsh controversially asked staff to follow his lead and work for a month without pay, which many did. It has also scrapped sandwiches on short-haul flights and is introducing charges on pre-booked seats.

The statement continued: “Without changes, we will continue to lose more money with every month that passes. It is essential we make ourselves more efficient if we are to ensure our long-term survival.”

In the year to the end of March, BA made a loss of £401m - its biggest loss since it was privatised in 1987. The outlook for the industry has not improved this year, and BA expects to make a big loss for the second consecutive year.