New date for BA's Heathrow Terminal 5 flights

(Reuters)

British Airways will start transferring its Heathrow long-haul flights to the new Terminal 5 (T5) on 5 June, it was announced today.

BA and Heathrow operator BAA said eight long-haul flights, including services to New York, will move from Terminal 4 to T5 on that day.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh said the rest of the flights will be transferred in phases to the new £4.3bn terminal, which had a shambolic opening on 27 March with flights cancelled and bags going astray.

The other seven destinations for which flights will be transferred on 5 June are Bangalore, Beijing, Cairo, Cape Town, Lagos, Phoenix and Abuja in Nigeria.

The 5 June transfers account for about a quarter of BA's Terminal 4 schedule.

Mr Walsh said today: "As we announced on 11 April, we will move our Terminal 4 long-haul programme into Terminal 5 in phases. We have taken this decision in the interests of customers, who remain our priority at all times.

"T5 is now working well, and we are pleased we can confirm our plan to move in some additional flights on 5 June."

BAA chief executive Colin Matthews said: "I am pleased that we have reached this decision jointly. BAA and BA have worked together effectively to resolve the initial problems at T5, and to plan this next move.

"We continue to work together intensively to complete the migration of the remaining long haul services as soon as is practicable."