 The switchover to the �50m new tower will take place on Saturday |
Passengers travelling to Heathrow Airport may face delays as air traffic controllers switch to a new control tower, officials said. National Air Traffic Services (Nats) said the switchover would take place at 0200 BST on Saturday.
The number of flights landing will be reduced to give controllers time to get used to the new system, Nats said.
The switchover to the new �50m tower is central to the start of operations at Terminal 5, which begin in March 2008.
The 285ft (87m) tower replaces the 1955-built existing tower which was designed by architect Sir Frederick Gibberd.
Flight schedule altered
General manager of Nats, Martyn Jeffery, said: "I'm confident they will quickly build familiarity.
"Nonetheless, at an airport used as intensively as Heathrow, this means it is possible there will be some delays to flights," he added.
A BAA statement said some additional flights would be allowed to land early, between 0500 and 0600 BST.
In the event of a major delays some arrivals and departures will be scheduled for after 2330 BST.
Airport officials said the altered schedule would be in place for a few days after the transition.
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