Gareth Kirkwood, the director of operations, and David Noyes, the director of customer services, are leaving BA which has been forced to cancel hundreds of flights in the days after T5 launched.

BA said today: "The airline is looking to appoint a chief operations officer to combine both roles. The departures follow the airline’s move to Terminal 5.”

A spokesman at BA refused to comment on whether Mr Kirkwood and Mr Noyes had been fired or resigned, stating: "All we are saying is that they are leaving."

He also refused to comment on whether Mr Noyes and Mr Kirkwood, who have worked at BA for a combined 45 years, will receive a pay-off.

Only last Saturday, Willie Walsh, chief executive at BA, appeared to be backing Mr Kirkwood and Mr Noyes over the debacle that has so far cost the company over £15 million. He said: "If people want to assign blame for this it comes to me."

Last week, BA and BAA, the Spanish-owned airport operator, postponed the planned move of its long-haul services to Terminal 5 until June because of the fallout from the building's disastrous launch.

However, yesterday, Mr Walsh admitted moving 120 long-haul flights to Terminal 5 could take until October, with the earliest transfers beginning in early June. Mr Walsh also said yesterday that he had "no intention of resigning".

Commenting on delay to June, Nigel Turner, chief executive at BMI, Heathrow's second largest airline, said: "This is an absolutely outrageous announcement by BAA and done with no thought, consideration or consultation of any other airline other than BA."

More than 50 airlines are waiting for BA to vacate Terminal 4 to take up the empty slots. Mr Turner declined to comment on today's developments.

The delayed transfer of the services from Terminal 4 to the new £4.3 billion home is the latest blow to BA, which had to admit that it was sending thousands of bags by coach to be sorted in the northern Italian city of Milan because it could not cope with the backlog building up at Britain's main air hub.

Mr Kirkwood has sustained much of the criticism over the disastrous T5 opening, and last week made a public statement while accompanied by a minder.

Just days after the terminal opened, Mr Kirkwood said: "We always knew the first day would represent a unique challenge because of the size and complexity of the move to Terminal 5. We are working extremely hard on solutions to these short-term difficulties."

Mr Kirkwood has been with BA for 22 years and is a member of the company's nine-strong "Leadership Team", which is responsible for supporting the airline carrier's board. Mr Kirkwood was the most senior BA executive to be named in the price-fixing scandal that cost the airline millions of pounds in fines.

Last August, Mr Kirkwood was one of 10 current and former BA executives who were liable for possible extradition and criminal prosecution over their alleged involvement in the scandal in which BA and Virgin Atlantic colluded over fuel surcharges on long-haul flights between August 2004 and January 2006.

Earlier this year, the two airlines agreed to pay up to £100 million in compensation to customers.

Times Recommends

• Lies and cover-up at MG Rover exposed by report
• High oil prices push manufacturing costs up
• Primark founder steps down as chief executive