BA fires two bosses after T5 travel fiasco

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They are operations director Gareth Kirkwood - seen on TV running away after speaking to the press on the day T5 opened amid chaos - and customer services director David Noyes.

In a terse statement, BA said: "The departures follow the airline's move to Terminal 5. The airline is looking to appoint a chief operating officer to combine both roles." A spokesman would not confirm whether the men had been fired and said details of any pay-offs were private.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh said "the buck stops with me" after tens of thousands of passengers suffered flight delays and more than 20,000 bags went missing when the £4.3 billion terminal opened last month.

He has come under pressure from shareholders either to resign or be seen to hold others responsible. Standard Life Investments, BA's second largest shareholder, held crisis meetings with airline executives after the share price plunged yesterday.

Today a BA spokesman said: "Willie has said from the outset that he accepts ultimate responsibility but he will not be resigning." Instead he will take temporary charge of operations and customer relations while headhunters scour the world to find someone to fill the new role of chief operating officer.

Last week BA postponed moving 60 long-haul flights from Terminal 4 to the new building.

Meanwhile Heathrow's latest accounts show that its profits rose by £40 million last year. Airports operator BAAmade £438 million from Heathrow and £86 million from Stansted - profits at the airport in Essex rose by 68 per cent.

In all, BAA made £745million last year from seven British sites and Naples airport.

Jim Callaghan, head of regulatory affairs at Ryanair, said: "BAA is abusing its position by charging outrageous fees while providing a rubbish service."

Passengers are being refused insurance for lost bags if they use T5. Leading insurers, including Direct Line, will not lift the ban until they are convinced the baggage system is under control.