BA's Heathrow services face days of disruption

BA ran its first flight in over 24 hours from the world's busiest international airport late Friday after a wildcat strike paralysed services.

The airline said half its short-haul flights for Saturday in and out of Heathrow and a quarter of its long-haul flights had been scrapped as operations slowly returned to normal.

Flights from Australia, South Africa, India and the United States were due to arrive Saturday morning after being delayed from August 11.

BA geared up to clearing a massive backlog of flights that could take days to complete.

"The airline faces a complex logistical challenge with at least 100 aircraft and 1,000 flying crew out of position. As a result it will take some time to return to a normal flying programme," BA said in a statement.

"We plan to operate up to 50 percent of our short-haul and 75 percent of our long-haul services in to and out of London Heathrow on Saturday.

"We recognise how frustrating this must be but we are working as hard as we can to get customers away."

A flight to Paris, the first of 31 departures the company pledged to operate late Friday, took off just before 9:00 pm (2000 GMT) with a full load, BA said.

Hordes of other passengers were left behind, queuing for food, drink and blankets at makeshift snack corners set up in the airport's departure lounges, and looked for ways to modify their flight arrangements.

More than 500 BA flights had to be scrapped from Thursday afternoon onwards after 1,000 baggage handlers, cargo loaders and drivers walked out in sympathy with sacked workers at the catering firm that prepares its in-flight meals.

The company's staff in the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) started to return to work on Friday after a walkout in support of sacked employees of Gate Gourmet, BA's catering supplier at Heathrow.

The breakthrough followed an agreement by Gate Gourmet managers to meet officials from the TGWU to try to resolve the row.

Talks between the union and Gate Gourmet were to resume Saturday at 10:30 am (0930 GMT). A TGWU spokesman said Friday's discussions had been "useful".

Across Heathrow departure lounges, thousands of passengers continued an unbroken vigil for alternative travel arrangements.