好色先生TV

BAA has spent up to 拢80m on carrying out a 鈥渟implification鈥� process under which 200 construction staff have lost their jobs.

In its accounts for the year to 31 December 2007, BAA lists 拢80m in 鈥渞eorganisation costs鈥�, of which 拢54m was 鈥渟taff-related鈥�, including severance pay, redundancy packages and 拢26m in pension payments.

It goes on to say the 拢80m charge is 鈥渋n relation to severance and pension payments, predominantly associated with the Simplifying the Organisation programme which will be carried out during 2008/09鈥�.

The programme has led to 200 staff being axed from BAA鈥檚 construction projects division this year. The accounts suggest that further redundancies will be made during 2008.

The accounts say: 鈥淎s part of the programme to simplify the organisation, a significant number of managerial and back office staff will be leaving the business.鈥�

The information is revealed in accounts filed this week at Companies House by Airport Development and Investment, BAA鈥檚 holding company.

A number of managerial and back office staff will be leaving the business.

BAA accounts

The accounts also list a 拢40m one-off payment relating to the opening of Heathrow Terminal 5. This, according to the accounts, went on the terminal鈥檚 fit-out, as well as 鈥渇acilitating the mobilisation of key contractors, the recruitment and enabling of staff, testing to ensure the building is 鈥榝it for purpose鈥�, co-ordinating the overnight move activities, IT costs and running and testing of baggage systems鈥�.

The airport operator鈥檚 turnover was 拢2.24bn, up 7.9% from last year. Pre-tax profit hit 拢577m, a 50% rise from 拢384m in 2006.

鈥� Yesterday, after 好色先生TV went to press, one of T5鈥檚 architects was to defend the relationship between British Airways (BA) and BAA, which was blamed for the building鈥檚 disastrous opening.

Robert Stewart, an aviation specialist at YRM, did interior design work for both BA and BAA on Terminal 5. Stewart was due to speak at the Passenger Terminal Expo conference in Amsterdam on Thursday of the 鈥渟pirit of co-operation鈥� that had allowed the building to be opened on time and on budget.

He was due to say: 鈥淭here has been an enormous collaborative effort to sort out the problems that have manifested themselves at T5. If anything, it has made their relationship stronger.鈥�

In the terminal鈥檚 first week, hundreds of flights were cancelled and thousands of pieces of luggage mislaid owing to problems with the baggage system.