British Airways saw its shares plunge in mid-morning trading after Sir Richard Branson said at the weekend that the airline was "not worth much anymore".
The co-owner of Virgin Atlantic warned ministers against stepping in to save the loss-making airline. "It would be better to wait for its demise," said Branson.
Shares in BA, which lost a record £401m last year and is expected to make another loss in the current financial year, fell 8% to 125p.
