The Heathrow airport chief who presided over the Terminal 5 opening debacle is on his way out.

Airport operator BAA said managing director Mark Bullock had "chosen to leave" in the light of management-role changes announced recently.

Mr Bullock, who has been with Spanish-owned company since 2004, will be replaced in September by Mike Brown, who is currently the chief operating officer at London Underground.

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

Last month, BA announced that operations director Gareth Kirkwood and customer services director David Noyes would be leaving following the T5 fiasco.

Mr Bullock said: "Leading the team at Heathrow Airport is an intense and demanding role, but one I have enjoyed very much.

"The managing director role at the airport will change substantially under the new structure being introduced by Colin Matthews and, while I understand and support those important changes and the renewed focus on day-to-day operations, the time is clearly right for me to move on and take on new challenges.

"I wish my successor and everyone associated with Heathrow Airport every success in the future."

After the shambolic first day at T5, BA announced that the planned April 30 move of almost all the airline's long-haul flights to the new terminal would be postponed.

Last week, BA said a phased transfer of its long-haul services would start on June 5.

This came two days after Mr Matthews and BA chief executive Willie Walsh faced a grilling from MPs on the House of Commons Transport Committee at a special hearing into the T5 opening.

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