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London: Fifty four more British Airways flights at Heathrow Airport's problem-plagued new Terminal 5 were cancelled on Monday, leading the crisis into day five with an estimated financial loss of up to 25 million pounds.
The latest scraps bring the total of cancelled flights to almost 300 flights since the state-of-the-art terminal began operating on Thursday.
Around 15,000 bags have also been separated from their owners in a chaotic backlog that is likely to cost BA up to 25 million pounds, according to Citibank analysts.
Airport operators have said the problems were triggered by glitches with the terminal's high-tech baggage-handling system.
The chaos has been a source of major embarrassment for BA and airport operator BAA PLC. The 4.3 billion pound terminal was expected to transform Heathrow’s image of a overcrowded transport hub.
BA is the only airline operating fro Terminal 5, which was expected to be working at 87 per cent capacity on Monday. More cancellations were expected for Tuesday.
Analysts said the financial impact from the crisis will be costly, adding that staff will probably bear the costs, as such losses reduce the likelihood for bonuses.
BA Chief Executive Willie Walsh said the airline would "not rest until our service has been restored to the high standard customers rightly expect.”
He added that there is a backlog of undelivered bags, but it is not affecting the day-to-day operations of the system and they hope to convey all lost luggage to owners as soon as possible.
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