We weren't ready to open Terminal 5 admit BA bosses

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The airline said it should have held back the opening until it was sure all the systems were in place.

In a statement, BA said: "In hindsight, we should not have absorbed the continuing building delays by compromising the time needed to complete the full testing and familiarisation process as planned.

"We should have delayed the move [ie opening] on 27 March to allow all programmes to be completed."

BA was giving evidence to the Commons transport committee which is investigating the disastrous opening of the terminal, the airline's new base.

The statement admitted that in the first days "staff did not have the degree of familiarity and competence to operate to the planned times in what were new surroundings".

A number of "critical facilities" at the terminal "hadn't been completed to the design specification by opening day and so failed to meet operationally adequate standards impacting both on customers and staff ".

In the first 11 days of opening, BA was forced to cancel 636 flights. Hundreds of thousands of travellers suffered huge disruption, many having to depart without their luggage because of faults in baggage-handling computer systems.

But British Airports Authority chief executive Colin Matthews told the committee that he was not aware of any problems.

"Clearly with hindsight there were aspects which were not ready. There were some problems on opening day," he told the MPs.

He also revealed that 17 of the terminal's lifts are still not working.

The MPs pledged to visit Heathrow later this month as part of their probe into what went so disastrously wrong. They partly blamed the baggage mayhem on computer software problems. Staff had been hit with parking problems on the opening day, 27 March.

Condemning the airline chiefs, committee member Lee Scott said: "What should have been a prestigious event for the country turned into an embarrassment."

BA boss Willie Walsh also faced a grilling by MPs this afternoon.