Thursday March 27, 01:29 PM
Take-off for Terminal Five at London's Heathrow airport
LONDON (AFP) - Flights began taking off and landing at Heathrow airport's new terminal on Thursday, although not without a few reported teething problems at the London air hub.
Terminal Five, which cost 4.3 billion pounds (5.6 billion euros, 8.7 billion dollars) and is the first addition to Heathrow in 20 years, was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II earlier this month.
On Thursday the first flight to land was from Hong Kong, and while the British Airways (LSE: BAY.L - news) aircraft landed 10 minutes ahead of schedule, some passengers reported delays while signs were also criticised.
"It (Frankfurt: A0MLX5 - news) took an hour for our bags to come through from the time we landed," said Mike Salinger, who travelled from Hong Kong with his wife Denise at the new terminal at Heathrow, to the west of the British capital.
"There seems to be no proper meeting point and it seems difficult for people being picked up to be found. The signs don't seem to be very clear," he added.
Terminal Five (T5), which has been 15 years in planning and construction, will be able to handle 30 million passengers a year.
Heathrow, which handles 68 million passengers a year, is already one of the world's biggest airports, but has for years been plagued by overcrowding in its hotch-potch of ageing buildings due to soaring demand for air travel.
Some passengers were impressed. "It all seems very efficient. Everything is positive," said Andrew Fensome, 37, who arrived on the first flight with his wife Nicola.
But Londoner Agar Burton, meeting his wife Andrea from the flight, was less positive. "One of the lifts was not working, the signs are not clear and you're not sure where you are. It doesn't seem very user-friendly," he said.
Heathrow's logistics director Shaun Cowlam acknowledged the initial difficulties, but said they would be fixed.
"Most airports open with difficulties. Looking at where we are now -- is it perfect? Not in every respect," he said, but added: "I would say so far, so good. I am cautiously optimistic."
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