BA in new T5 long-haul move date

BA was originally supposed to move all services on 30 April

British Airways (BA) will not complete the transfer of all long-haul flights from Heathrow to Terminal 5 until the end of October, months behind schedule.

The chaotic opening of the new �4.3bn terminal forced BA to delay the second stage of the transfer to 5 June.

It will now "phase in" the transfer of the remaining services, with some flights moving across on 17 September and the rest moving a month later.

BA insisted T5 was "working well" and the timetable would benefit passengers.

'Smooth operation'

The phased move has been planned in the interests of our passengers BA/BAA statement

It said that it was "sensible" to leave the next stage of the transfer until after the summer.

"The phased move has been planned in the interests of our passengers and the smooth operation of Heathrow over the busy summer period," BA and airport operator BAA said in a joint statement.

BA is currently operating about 15 long-haul services a day from Terminal 5.

Its decision to postpone the bulk of the transfer - which had been due to take place on 30 April - was a huge embarrassment for the company.

Two of the firm's senior executives responsible for the bungled opening of Terminal 5 have since left the company.

FLIGHTS MOVING TO TERMINAL 5 5 June: New York, Beijing, Bangalore, Cairo, Cape Town, Abuja and Lagos 17 September: Washington DC, Chicago, Dallas, Toronto, Buenos Aires, Nairobi, Kuwait and Tel-Aviv October: All remaining 15 daily services

Passengers flying to destinations such as Washington DC, Chicago, Dallas, Toronto and Buenos Aires will now have to wait until 17 September to use Terminal 5, when 30 daily services will transfer from Terminal 4.

The 15 remaining daily services left at Terminal 4 will move by the end of October.

Flights to New York (JFK only), Beijing and Cape Town are among 15 daily services set to transfer on 5 June.

When the move is finally completed, Terminal 5 will handle more than 500 flights a day.

BA recently reported a 45% increase in profits for 2007-8 but warned of tougher times ahead and likely fare rises due to the spiralling cost of jet fuel.

Chief executive Willie Walsh has taken personal responsibility for the problems at Terminal 5 and turned down his annual bonus because of his unhappiness about the firm's performance.

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