T5 long-haul flights move delayed

British Airways has announced that the move of its Heathrow long-haul flights to Terminal 5 has been postponed until June.

In a joint statement with BAA today (April 11th), the airline said that the shift of flights from Terminal 4 to the new complex - which had been scheduled to take place on April 30th - had been delayed to allow the two organisations to "iron out" the baggage issues experienced in recent weeks.

British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh said the decision was "only sensible". However, fellow UK airline bmi criticised the announcement, raising concerns over the impact of the delay on the other airlines operating from Heathrow, many of which had planned their own moves in the wake of British Airways's long-haul shift.

"The sequence of moves affects over 50 airlines, including bmi, at Heathrow," said bmi chief executive Nigel Turner.

He added: "The programme and timescale of changes was agreed in joint consultation with all airlines that are now geared up to undertake the moves as agreed."

Passengers whose flights will now depart from Terminal 4 instead of Terminal 5 as a result of the delay will be contacted in due course.

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