Chaos in London airports as BA ground flights

Earlier in the day, the UK's flagship carrier said all flights from the Heathrow and Gatwick aiports had been cancelled up to 5pm local time, but a spokesman later told AFP that all flights for Saturday had been grounded.

Angry passengers were forced to return home or to hotels, as the airports were emptied of people booked on British Airways flights, including those to the Middle East.

Suspicion at first fell on hackers, but the British airline said it is yet to see proof of this.

British Airways asked customers due on other flights not to come to the London airports, after a global IT problem disrupted flights worldwide.

The disruption came on a particularly busy day for Heathrow and Gatwick when families often holidays abroad for schools' half-term break.

Agencies contributed to this article.