PASSENGERS are facing cancellations and severe delays after the American authorities imposed new security requirements in the wake of last week’s alleged airliner bomb plot.

Yesterday it had seemed airports were beginning to return to normal. But last night BAA, the airports operator, announced that one in three departures from Heathrow would be cancelled today.

Ministers have been warned by airlines in Britain that the US checks, which require 34 separate pieces of information on each passenger to be sent to America before a plane takes off, are “unsustainable” and “impractical”.

In addition to the extra time taken to fulfil the American requirements, the government’s ban on hand luggage has dramatically increased the time taken to screen hold baggage.

Electronic items such as laptops and iPods, which passengers are now having to pack into their main luggage, are being flagged up as suspect devices by airport scanners at Heathrow, requiring further inspection.

British Airways (BA), which accounts for more than 40% of the airport’s 1,200 daily flights, said last night its short-haul flights were most likely to be affected by the new cancellations. Transatlantic flights are also likely to be vulnerable.

The situation varied across the country, with little disruption in Scotland, but Stansted airport cancelled about 30 flights today.

The situation has led Willie Walsh, BA’s chief executive, to blame BAA for the cancellations.

“We are ready and able to operate a full schedule at London Heathrow,” he said. “We have sufficient flying crew, ground staff and aircraft in place.

“However, BAA is unable to provide a robust security search process and baggage operation at London Heathrow and as a result we are being forced to cancel flights and operate some others from Heathrow without all the passengers on board.”

A spokesman for Heathrow did not comment directly on Walsh’s comments, but said: “It is important for the airline community to come together. This is going to involve tough decisions on everyone’s part.”

On one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year, the airlines and airport operators put pressure on Douglas Alexander, the transport secretary, to relax the ban on hand luggage and to increase the number of security staff.

Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s chief executive, said BAA “could not cope” with the government’s requirement for all passengers to be body searched and ministers should deploy the police or army to carry out the task and prevent airports “grinding to a halt”.

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