British Airways maintenance staff failed to close the engine doors on a plane which was forced to make an emergency landing at Heathrow last week, plunging the airport into chaos, an official report has found.
The investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch found that the doors – known as cowls – were left unlatched on both engines before the Airbus 319 took off for Oslo last Friday.
Last night Patrick McLoughlin, the Transport Secretary, said the report contained "serious findings". He added: "The industry must act immediately to take the appropriate safety action and ensure that all lessons are learnt from what has happened.
"Airline passengers have the right to expect to travel safely and it is the responsibility of all involved in aviation to make sure that happens."
On the right wing the cowl door flew into the engine triggering a fire as well as causing damage to the fuselage. The cowl on the other wing also shorn away, but without serious consequences.
The emergency led to 193 flights being cancelled throwing the bank holiday plans of tens of thousands of passengers into chaos with Heathrow at one point being forced to close both its runways on one of the busiest days of the year to date.
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