The opening day of Heathrow airport's new Terminal Five descended into chaos today, with flights cancelled, baggage delayed and long queues, while protestors rallied against further expansion.
British Airways, the only airline using Terminal Five, was forced to cancel 34 flights and apologise for 'teething problems'.
The terminal cost £4.3 billion sterling (€5.6 billion) 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.
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 in a statement.
'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 airline added.
The new terminal, which has been 15 years in planning and construction, will be able to handle 30 million passengers a year.
Heathrow, used by 68 million passengers a year, is already one of the world's biggest airports, but has for years been plagued by overcrowding in its hotch-potch of ageing buildings due to soaring demand for air travel.
