Spanish airline Iberia has been fined for forcing female job applicants to undergo pregnancy tests, prompting an outcry over sexism at the national flag carrier, reports The Telegraph.

Iberia, which formed an £5 billion alliance with British Airways in 2010, drew scorn on social media after claiming the measure was aimed at ensuring “the wellbeing of the baby and future mother”.

It had argued that the test for flight crew applicants was not intended to filter out expectant mothers, but instead make sure they were placed in roles that would not involve any risk to the pregnancy.

But authorities in Mallorca - where the practice was originally discovered - rejected that claim, ordering Iberia to pay €25,000 (£22,000) for what they described as a serious act of gender discrimination.

Lago Negueruela, the work, trade and industry secretary for the Balearic Islands government, said Iberia was guilty of a "very grave infraction" and that men and women could not be given different tests for access to work.

Iberia had not been asking male applicants if they were going to become fathers, Mr Negueruela told Cadena Sur radio, insisting: "Any practice of this type must be excluded from the job market."

According to the Telegraph, Iberia has now said it will drop the requirement and instead “trust” its female employees to notify their bosses of pregnancies.

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