Dozens of flights to and from Heathrow were cancelled on Friday as a 10-day strike that promises to cause chaos for Easter holidaymakers began. More than 40 flights to and from Heathrow were cancelled, with the airport also warning travellers to expect longer than usual delays.

British Airways said changes were made because of the Heathrow strikes, protests in France and bad weather.

There had been hopes that last-minute talks on Thursday would stop Terminal 5 security staff from taking industrial action during one of the airport’s busiest periods of the year, but they broke down. The strikes will now run until April 10 and are likely to lead to more cancellations.

Terminal 5 is the worst hit part of the airport, with The Daily Telegraph identifying more than 20 flights cancelled from there yesterday.

Earlier this week, British Airways, which is the sole airline that services the terminal, confirmed that it would be cancelling hundreds of flights during the strike period.

About 5 per cent of all its planned flights will be cancelled over the 10-day period, which equates to 16 round trips a day.

The airline said the majority of cancellations would be for domestic and short-haul flights. However, among the flights cancelled are long-haul journeys to New York, Washington and other European destinations.

Flights coming in from Kuwait and San Francisco have also been cancelled. To try and mitigate the issues, BA is looking to use bigger aircraft on operating flights to move more passengers.

The Daily Telegraph, London