Terminal 5’s first morning open to the public faced lengthy baggage delays and flight cancellations.
Passengers waiting in Heathrow’s new building were unable to collect their bags after a sophisticated new system broke down, causing a backlog of luggage and the cancellation of at least 20 flights.
These included services departing to Munich, Frankfurt, Paris, Brussels, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
In a statement, British Airways described the problems as “minor”.
“This is not unexpected following one of the most complex and largest airport moves in history.”
The airline went on to list the issues that the terminal had encountered already.
“The teething problems have included car parking provision, delays in staff security screening and staff familiarisation with the terminal. We have also had some baggage performance issues. Those issues are being resolved.
“Overall customers have given us a very positive reaction to Terminal 5, which we know will be a resounding success.”
