British Airways has suspended a pilot after pictures emerged of a man in stockings appearing to pleasure himself at the controls.

Although father-of-one Colin Glover denies he is the person in the photos, the airline that has employed him for 26 years has seen fit to temporarily relieve him of his duties.

The snaps, believed to be taken on at least two different planes, show the stocking-clad figure with his legs up on the steering controls, while others include a man exposing himself in the toilets, and a pornographic magazine on the dashboard.

Airline expert Chris Yates told the Sun: 'This is very dangerous if the plane is in mid-flight.

British Airways has suspended a pilot after pictures emerged of a man in stockings appearing to pleasure himself at the controls

'If you are flying, you can fly into serious turbulence.'

A BA spokesman told MailOnline: 'We are taking this matter very seriously and are investigating.'

Mr Glover's LinkedIn profile says he has longhaul and shorthaul experience, on B737-200/400, B747-100/200, B747-400, B757, B767, and B777-200/300 aircraft, and it is the photographs appear to be taken in a 777.

The photos are the latest in a number of serious incidents to plague BA in recent years.

They come just months after two British Airways pilots were placed under investigation after allegedly getting into a bar room brawl.

Senior first officer Sean Murphy, 39, and pilot Paul Lytollis, 43, were enjoying an evening out at a bar in Houston, Texas, with other staff during a stopover when they reportedly came to blows.

And last year Matthew Underwood, a worker who delayed a flight for passengers who were running late has been suspended amid allegations he was taking backhanders from celebrities and rich businessmen.

A Boeing 777 cockpit, similar to the one in which the lurid photographs were taken in (file image)

A drunken cabin crew ran amok while off-duty on a flight sparking angry complaints from passengers in 2013.

Stewards and stewardesses were seen downing bottles of champagne and red wine in front of stunned onlookers in First and Club premium cabins on a flight from London to Washington.