The opening day of Heathrow airport's new Terminal Five descended into chaos today, with flights cancelled, baggage delayed and long queues.
British Airways, the only airline using Terminal Five, was forced to cancel 34 flights and apologise for ‘teething problems’ only weeks after the huge new building was inaugurated by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth.
The terminal cost €5.6bn and is the first addition for 20 years to Heathrow, one of the world's busiest airports.
But within minutes of the first flight arriving from Hong Kong 10 minutes ahead of schedule, passengers began reporting problems, ranging from getting lost to waiting ages for luggage.
Beatles producer George Martin was among those caught up in the chaos: he arrived two hours early for a flight to Zurich, only to find it over-booked by BA.
British Airways admitted there were problems, but sought to play them down and said they would be rapidly resolved.
‘We have had a few minor problems...This is not unexpected following one of the most complex and largest airport moves in history,’ the airline said.
‘These teething problems have included car parking provision, delays in staff security screening and staff familiarisation with the terminal. We have also had some luggage performance issues.’
The new terminal, which has been 15 years in planning and construction, will be able to handle 30 million passengers a year.
The opening also saw 250 protestors demonstrate against plans for further expansion plans, which include a proposed third runway at Heathrow.
