Minister orders inquiry into Heathrow chaos

The Transport Secretary demanded action after a scathing report by her department revealed that punctuality at the airport has fallen, delays have risen and travellers' journey times have increased.

The report also showed half of all planes are held in a stacking system due to delays and many passengers spend more time on the ground than in the air.

Ms Kelly ordered the Civil Aviation Authority to look into how to improve the service provided by the airport.

She said passengers using Heathrow deserved a more "efficient and reliable" experience.

The Department for Transport study also revealed:

The average delays at Heathrow had risen from 15.9 minutes in 2002 to 20.2 minutes last year - an increase of 27 per cent.

Punctuality at Heathrow has dropped from 70 per cent in 2002 to 61 per cent last year.

The total departure delays for all aircraft from Heathrow have increased from 360 weeks in 2002 to 469 weeks last year.

Heathrow is now rated 80th out of 93 international airports in terms of overall quality.

According to the report, passengers using the airport find their journey times increased by three to four hours because of the delays.

"Predictable and efficient end-to-end journey times are extremely important to passengers," it says.

"For instance, the flight from Heathrow to Frankfurt lasts only one and a half hours, but the office-to-office journey time from the City to Frankfurt will be closer to five hours.

"For outbound passengers, delays can occur on the journey to the airport, at check-in and at security, as well as to take-off.

"For the inbound passenger, there can be delays whilst the plane circles waiting for a landing slot, in securing access to a ramp, at immigration, at baggage reclaim and on the journey to their end destination."

The report continues: "Improving performance across the end-to-end journey and understanding the pinch points in the system is critical if the UK is to maintain and improve its competitiveness in the face of continued growth in international trade of services and goods."

In a speech in London this morning, Ms Kelly said improving the experience of passengers was a "priority".

"It is not simply the flight that matters. It's the journey to the airport, the time spent in the queue at check-in, security or immigration, and any delays spent on the aircraft waiting for a slot to take off.

"This is the first study of its kind which shows where delays occur, who is accountable and how they can be reduced or eliminated.

"This will not only give travellers an efficient and more reliable journey - it will also help Heathrow maintain its competitive edge in global aviation which is good for the entire UK economy."

Ms Kelly continued: "BAA are making significant investments to expand capacity at Heathrow, for example with Terminal 5 opening next March, and this will have a major impact on the passenger experience.

"And in the longer term, the construction of Crossrail will significantly reduce journey times to and from the airport for many."