British Airways has started talks with Capita to outsource its Manchester and Newcastle call centres as the IAG-owned airline looks to cut more costs.

The move is likely to create controversy, especially after the IT issue that besieged the company recently and left 75,000 passengers stranded.

Accusations of cost-cutting and outsourcing of IT services were vehemently denied by BA, which said that the issue was caused by a power surge that also knocked out the back-up power system.

It is thought that the IT failure could cost the airline in excess of £100m. BA currently employs over 1,400 staff at both call centres.

A statement from the airline said that it was in discussions with Capita, however “no decision had been made.”

A BA spokesperson added: “To ensure we can offer the highest standards of service to customers, taking advantage of the latest developments in technology, we are conducting a review of our global call centre operations.

“As part of this review we are talking with Capita about the services they provide, however no decision has been made.”

BA has been dogged by controversy over the past 10 years: the opening of Terminal 5 back in 2008 was deemed chaotic, while 2010’s volcanic ash cloud grounded the airline for weeks, resulting in heavy commercial losses.