Half-year profits at British Airways have fallen from £616m to £52m. The airline blames "incredibly difficult trading conditions" for the plunge.

BA said pre-tax profit totalled £52m ($81.6m) between April and September, down  91.6%, from tth a year earlier.

BA's chief executive Willie Walsh, said the period would "be remembered as one of the bleakest on record".

The Airline sector has been hit by record fuel prices  and the economic downturn is affecting passenger numbers.

"The industry continues to face very difficult trading conditions on the back of a weak economic environment," Mr Walsh said.