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According to Reuters, the market had fallen 1.09 per cent to 4,110.81 at 10:25 BST, with the potential global outbreak of swine flu beginning to affect trading.
The travel industry was the worst hit, with British Airways slipping 7.38 per cent to 151.8p per share, followed by cruise operator Carnival, which declined 7.37 per cent.
Shares in Thomas Cook also declined, as did those in TUI Travel and InterContinental Hotels Group.
Of the companies to rise in the morning session Aviva was the strongest performer, with the insurance firm climbing 4.48 per cent to 285.5p per share after posting encouraging financial results for the first quarter.
The slide comes after the FTSE rose during trading last week, with the market ending at 4,133.24 points on Friday (April 24th) after a rally from financial institutions and commodity firms.
