The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) indicated that its initial conclusions on the alleged price-fixing of long-haul passenger fuel surcharges would be given in about a month’s time, but it gave no clue about whether the airline was in breach of competition laws.

The possibility that BA would be found guilty of violating competition law appeared increasingly likely when the executives at the centre of the scandal — Martin George and Iain Burns — resigned after admitting that the airline’s own rules had been broken through conversations with a competitor about fuel surcharges.

The airline faces a potential multimillion-pound fine from the OFT, or moves to reduce its dominance at Heathrow, if it is found guilty. Three other carriers — American Airlines, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic — have been helping the OFT and the US Justice Department with their inquiries, but say that they are not the focus of the investigation.

Mr George, the commercial director, and Mr Burns, the head of corporate communications, had been on leaves of absence from BA since June, when the OFT said that it was investigating alleged price-fixing in relation to long-haul fuel surcharges.

Virgin Atlantic, which is understood to have triggered the investigation by tipping off the OFT, declined to comment yesterday.

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