MPs have slammed the botched opening of Heathrow’s £4.3 billion Terminal 5 as a “national embarrassment”.

A House of Commons select committee said the situation could and should have been avoided, and it was astonished British Airways and operator BAA only organised joint meetings once problems started.

The terminal's opening saw thousands of people suffer cancelled flights because of teething problems, most notably with the baggage handling system.

A committee report into the opening said: "The opening of T5 revealed serious failings on the part of both BAA and BA.

"Like both organisations, we acknowledge the inevitability of 'teething problems' but deeply regret that so many were allowed to bring the operation of Heathrow's newest terminal to a halt.”

Committee chairman Louise Ellman MP added: "What should have been an occasion of national pride was in fact an occasion of national embarrassment."

The investigation into the opening highlighted poor staff training. And BAA's chairman, Sir Nigel Rudd, and chief executive, Colin Matthews, were described as “unhelpful and ill-prepared” when they appeared before the committee.

The MPs on the committee said the botched opening reinforced the view that the BAA monopoly needed to be broken up, as the Competition Committee had recommended earlier this year.

Both BA and BAA has apologised for the problems and said that lessons had been learned.

BAA said the terminal was now exceeding many performance targets and was now a great success.