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Britain’s largest private pension schemes are more than £100 billion in deficit for the first time, it was disclosed yesterday.

The 200 schemes include the pensions of some the country’s best known companies, such as British Airways, Shell and BT. Millions of people are members of the lucrative final salary schemes, which pay out an annual pension based on a member’s final salary.The schemes have been in deficit for the past year, but it is the first time that the deficit has split into triple figures.

Experts said the deficit would continue to grow and predicted a major company would go bankrupt because of its pension deficit in

It is understand that the 200 schemes have between 10 and 15 million members, including current employees, those who used to work at the companies and those who have retired.

The deficit of the country’s largest 200 pension schemes was £103 billion this month, rising from £88 billion the previous month, according to figures by Aon Consulting.

Pilots at British Airways move millions out of company pension

Pilots at British Airways are moving millions of pounds out of the company’s lucrative pension scheme amid fears it will go bust.Workers fear the troubled company will fail to deliver on its pension promises after the airline announced this week that its pension deficit had reached almost £4 billion.

Experts said it showed a “lack of faith” among the company’s own staff in its pension scheme.It follows a vote by thousands of cabin crew to strike over Christmas over changes to working conditions. Pilots who have spent their entire career with British Airways can expect to retire on a pension of more than £100,000 a year, according to pension advisers.

If the BA pension scheme collapsed, a lifeboat fund known as the Pension Protection Fund would step in. But the fund pays out a maximum of almost £29,000 a year.

It means pilots and other well-paid BA workers could lose out on tens of thousands of pounds a year during their retirement.