Two British Airways executives 'fired' over the Terminal 5 nightmare

They are operations director GarethKirkwood — seen on TV running awayafter speaking to the press on the dayT5 opened amid chaos — and customerservices director David Noyes.

In a terse statement, BA said: "Thedepartures follow the airline's move toTerminal 5. The airline is looking toappoint a chief operating officer tocombine both roles."

A spokesmanwould not confirm whether the menhad been fired and said details of anypay-offs were private.

The departures come as it was announced this morning that Heathrow's profits rose by £40m last year, in spite of criticism that it failed to offer customers good service.

Terminal 5 delays were among the problems that hampered its opening and has led to the resignation of two BA executives

The private holding company that owns airport operator BAA made £438m from Heathrow.

The figure has angered airlines that use BAA's facilities and is set to outrage passengers who experienced problems at Heathrow's new £4.3bn Terminal 5 building.

Jim Callaghan, of Ryanair, said BAA was taking advantage of its position as the owner of London's three main airports.

“BAA is abusing its monopoly position by charging outrageous fees while providing a rubbish service and that's why they can enjoy huge profit increases,” he added.