Ready for take-off (more or less)

AVIATION leaders have predicted that the opening of Heathrow's fifth terminal will transform long-suffering passengers' travelling experience – but admitted it would not be finished on day one.

BAA, which runs the world's biggest international airport, said travellers could have to contend with a "bedding down" period and some of the lifts will not be working when it opens in two weeks.

The news came as the Queen officially opened the £4.3 billion glass "palace" yesterday, which she described as "highly impressive". She said passengers would appreciate the care which had gone into its "bright and airy space" and "clean, efficient layout".

However, proof of this will come at 4:50am on 27 March, when passengers on a British Airways (BA) flight from Hong Kong become the first to use the building.

That will mark the start of a £10 billion overhaul of Heathrow Airport, which will see the other terminals upgraded or demolished – although a replacement for terminals one and two may not be completed until after the London Olympics in 2012.

Terminal five (T5) will be solely used by BA, the airport's largest airline, handling 90 per cent of its flights by the end of April. The terminal's initial 30 million-a-year passenger capacity will free up space elsewhere at the airport, which copes with 68 million passengers in buildings designed for 45 million.

However, T5 will not create any extra flights because Heath-row's two runways are virtually full. Ministers are considering a third by 2020. The new terminal will halve passenger numbers in terminal one – currently used by BA and Bmi flights from Scotland – and terminal four.

An MPs' report published today says Heathrow has lost its popularity and it is "regrettable that BAA allowed the position to get as bad as it did".

However, Martin Broughton, the BA chairman, said: "T5 is our chance to show off Heathrow as a proud gateway to the UK for business and leisure passengers."

Mike Forster, BAA's strategy director, said: "We have a world-class baggage system that is going to work perfectly on day one."

And Ruth Kelly, the Transport Secretary, said: "T5 is a bold statement of intent for Heathrow's future. It sends out a message that together we are working to make Heathrow a world-class airport again."

But Andrew Wolstenholme, BAA's capital projects director, said: "It won't be bedded down until a few weeks have passed."

He added there were "still things to do" and some of the lifts would not be operational.

A threatened strike by BA pilots over a new subsidiary airline could also sabotage T5's birth. Members of the Balpa union will march on BA's Heathrow headquarters today to protest at the use of non-BA pilots on its new services between Europe and the United States.

PLANE SCARE MAN IN COURT

A MAN is due in court today charged with aircraft endangerment after a major security alert was sparked at Heathrow.

Ketheeswaran Uthayakumar, 27, was arrested near the northern runway on Thursday afternoon, which was closed for two hours, causing flight delays and cancellations.

The incident came weeks after Greenpeace protesters walked on to the runway and climbed onto an Edinburgh-bound BA Airbus A320 to protest at the airport's expansion plans.

Two days later, members of the Plane Stupid group breached security at Westminster, climbing on to the roof and unfurling banners. Both groups denied involvement in Thursday's incident.

Chris Huhne, the Lib Dems' home affairs spokesman, said: "Clearly those responsible for security at Heathrow have serious questions to answer. This breach is especially worrying, coming so soon after the embarrassing protest at the airport several weeks ago."