More flight cancellations at Heathrow's new terminal

London: British Airways cancelled a fifth of flights from Heathrow airport's Terminal 5 on Friday as the chaos of its opening spilled into a second day.

The open-plan terminal is Britain's largest enclosed space, equivalent to the size of about 50 football pitches.

Only passengers with hand luggage were able to fly on Thursday after at least 33 short-haul flights were cancelled and a new baggage handling system stopped working.

Some stranded passengers spent the night in the terminal, reluctant to pay for hotel accommodation even though authorities had promised to reimburse them.

British Airways Chief Executive Willie Walsh issued a statement apologising to passengers.

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