The British Airways Flying with Confidence course is celebrating 25 years of helping nervous flyers take to the skies worry-free.

Over the past 25 years the one-day course, run by experts including psychologists and British Airways pilots, has helped more than 45,000 people.

The course is held at UK airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

It starts with sessions on the ground with British Airways pilots who explain the technical side of flying, including how an aircraft operates and what causes turbulence.

Clinical psychologists provide expert advice on relaxation techniques, and how best to deal with anxiety and feelings of panic.

The day builds towards a 45 minute flight on a British Airways aircraft with British Airways crew – where customers can put the theory into practice.

Course administrator and British Airways captain, Steve Allright, said: “I am delighted to still be offering our customers a quality service 25 years after the course launched.

“It is a real pleasure to help more people to fly with confidence, allowing them to go overseas on holiday, attend important occasions like weddings, or for business travellers to simply focus on their work, and not the flight.

“With our new, dedicated courses for children and Premium business courses we can offer our customers even more choice.”

This year a new Premium course at London City airport has been launched which will use the British Airways A318 all business-class aircraft to offer an exclusive course with a BA Club Class feel and includes the opportunity to fly the BA Mobile Simulator.

In addition to tackling their fear of flying, course participants all qualify for a ten per cent discount on any British Airways flight, in any cabin class.