Technical and human errors
T5’s computer system didn’t recognise staff IDs. Doors that should have opened were locked, 17 out of the 18 terminal lifts were jammed, the transit system that moves passengers from the main terminal to the satellite terminal broke down, and the carousels, escalators, walkways and electronic screens all failed. The supposedly state-of the art baggage-handling system (12 miles of belts and tracks capable of handling up to 12,000 bags per hour) crashed around 11am. It had never been tested in a ‘live’ terminal. Bags only came off the first incoming flight from Hong Kong because managers were drafted to drag them off the plane. As pasengers arrived, the baggage piled up, overwhelming staff.