PETER WOODMAN

The Heathrow Airport chief who presided over the Terminal 5 opening debacle is to leave his job, airport operator BAA said yesterday.

The Spanish-owned company, which has had a string of top-management changes of late, said Heathrow's managing director Mark Bullock had "chosen to leave" in the light of management-role changes announced by BAA recently.

Mr Bullock, who has been with BAA since 2004, will be replaced by Mike Brown, the chief operating officer at London Underground. Mr Brown will take over in September.

Terminal 5, built for British Airways flights, had a disastrous opening on March 27 with flights cancelled, bags going astray and huge queues.

BAA chief executive Colin Matthews said: "Mark Bullock has made a significant contribution to BAA and to Heathrow, and has led the airport through a particularly challenging period. I am grateful for his efforts."

Mr Bullock said: "The managing director role at the airport will change substantially under the new structure being introduced by Colin Matthews and the time is clearly right for me to move on and take on new challenges."