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British Airways (BA) has said that it plans to operate 80% of its flights from Heathrow Terminal 5 today (28 March) after the new facility's first day of operations was blighted by technical glitches, delays and cancellations.

Faults with the new terminal's baggage system led to hundreds of passengers having to board flights without their luggage and arriving travellers not being able to reclaim their bags.

BA said there were a number of 'teething problems', including delays at the staff car park and log-in problems for baggage handlers, which had knock-on effects throughout the day.

The sense of confusion and chaos in the terminal was exacerbated by a group of protesters who gathered inside the hub, wearing t-shirts bearing the slogan 'stop airport expansion'.

While there were fears that some of the problems could continue for a second day, British Airways said it plans to operate the majority of its flights, including long-haul services, and passengers should be able to check in hand and hold luggage.

Willie Walsh, BA's chief executive, said: 'We always knew the first day would represent a unique challenge. A number of early problems grew during the course of the day which led to significant disruption for our customers.'

He added: 'I am very sorry that the problems have meant that some of our customers did not experience the true potential of this amazing new building.'

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