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British Airways (BA) pilots are closer to walking out after talks with the airline failed on Friday.

BA said in a statement: "We are disappointed that [the union] Balpa has chosen to walk away from the talks led by the conciliation service, Acas.

"We believe the opportunity remains to reach a peaceful resolution and lift the threat of strikes from our customers."

The airline and its pilots are in dispute over BA's new carrier, OpenSkies, which will offer flights direct from Paris and Brussels to New York from June 2008.

Both sides have been in talks with reconciliation service Acas since 86 per cent of pilots voted for strike action.

The trade union representing the pilots, British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), is concerned BA's new OpenSkies service will not provide employment security and career development opportunities.

Balpa wants terms and conditions for OpenSkies pilots to match those at BA as soon as the airline becomes profitable.

But BA said OpenSkies is a new airline in a highly competitive market from continental Europe to the US, and the terms and conditions for its staff must reflect that.

A new carrier could not sustain these costs, the airline said, putting the creation of 350 new jobs at risk.

BA said it intends to seek a high court injunction preventing the pilots from taking strike action.

Should a strike coincide with the easter weekend - from 21st March to 24th March - travel chaos in Britain could be assured, as rail services have already warned of engineering work over the period.