A British Airways pilot was suspended after allegedly leaving the cockpit door open during a transatlantic flight.

The unnamed man wanted his family, who were travelling as passengers, to see him operating the controls while flying from Heathrow to New York JFK last week. His actions “alarmed” some passengers and other crew members alerted the airline about the incident.

The pilot was suspended, meaning the return flight scheduled to arrive at Heathrow on Aug 8 was cancelled.

Affected passengers were offered alternative flights and the vast majority arrived within four hours of their original plan.

The pilot has returned to flying after an investigation found there was no security threat.

A British Airways spokesman said: “Safety and security is our top priority and allegations of this nature are always fully investigated.”

Since the September 11 terror attacks in the US in 2001, pilots have been required to keep cockpit doors closed and locked to prevent unauthorised access.