Down on the apron (or ramp) at Heathrow Terminal 5, I’m standing beside an Airbus A320 about to fly hundreds of passengers to Glasgow.
It’s the hottest day of the year so far, and the sun is a relentless drum pulsing heat through the air.
I’m wearing a rather natty British Airways uniform of navy blue trousers, waistcoat, blazer, white shirt, clip-on tie and – the piece de resistance – a scarlet peaked cap.
And my job – for the day – is to try to ensure BA’s planes leave on time.
I’ve taken on the role of ‘airport dispatch manager’ (ADM) for a behind-the-scenes look at BA’s operations at Heathrow, including its shiny new Air Operations Control Centre (AOCC), part of a wider £7 billion scheme that began in 2024 to buck up the national carrier’s performance at the airport.
It follows multiple delays, many caused by IT issues. This nerve centre is where every thread of the operation is tugged and teased – in calm or chaos.
In reality, I’m shadowing a BA ADM Divya Mann, who’s been in the job for seven years, and helping out when I can – discovering how full-on it can be to maintain schedules on the front line.
You quickly find it’s not easy to get 200 people on a plane in time for the take-off slot.
The Mail’s Deputy Head of Travel Benjamin Parker has taken on the role of ‘airport dispatch manager’ (ADM) for a behind-the-scenes look at BA’s operations at Heathrow, including its shiny new Air Operations Control Centre (AOCC)
Ben is shadowing a BA ADM Divya Mann, who’s been in the job for seven years, to discover how full-on it can be to maintain schedules on the front line.
Ben quickly finds it’s not easy to get 200 people on a plane in time for the take-off slot
After all, the turnaround between a plane arriving and departing on a domestic flight is just 55 minutes.
There’s a lot to get through in that time. In July, BA’s Heathrow operation dealt with an average of 330 flight arrivals and 330 departures every day.
Engines whirr as we enter a sweltering cabin beside the aircraft. Inside, we log into a computer and check the manifest, plus any notes from the pilot who landed the plane.
All seems in order and – ten minutes gone – we check another screen, this time assessing the luggage situation.
We watch in real time as boarding passes are scanned at the gate – and we can also see if there are any luggage anomalies.
We do. There’s a bag being loaded but no passenger at the boarding gate.
My first thought? Kick them off – we’ve got a schedule to keep. However, Divya is calmer.
We head up to the gate and discuss the matter with staff – discovering the passenger has just arrived. So it’s OK after all.
Ben learns that the turnaround between a plane arriving and departing on a domestic flight is just 55 minutes
Back on the Tarmac, we check the catering being loaded, and confirm fuel figures with a man in charge of the refuelling truck.
All the while, ahead of passengers actually boarding, cleaners have been rapidly wiping and vacuuming – another matter that needs to be monitored by an ADM.
Once the plane has been boarded, we step inside to speak to the cabin crew and the pilots – no issues from their side.
Final checks are made, then the jet bridge is manoeuvred away from the aircraft using a joystick that looks more suited to a retro games console than a hefty piece of machinery in 2025.
And that’s it. We check the time – nine minutes ahead of schedule. A job well done. My first plane off on time.
Earlier in the morning I had been taken for a (rarely given) inspection of the revamped and improved operations hub.
This is an aviation geek’s paradise. From inside you get a birdseye view of the UK’s busiest airport on a giant monitor glowing with colourful moving dots.
Each of these represents a plane – landing, taking off, resting at gates or moving to a hangar – all in real time. There’s the low hum of computers and the soft tapping of keyboards.
Back on tarmac, Ben and Divya check the catering being loaded, and confirm fuel figures with a man in charge of the refuelling truck
Ben gets his first plane off a whole nine minutes before schedule
If chaos erupts – IT meltdowns, industrial action or events such as the electrical substation fire that crippled Heathrow in March – the live-action resolution comes from those working here.
On my visit, all is well, despite strikes affecting air traffic in Italy.
Bhaven Pancholi, head of operational delivery, says the centre is ‘absolutely state of the art’, allowing BA to ‘quickly respond to issues that actually make a difference to customers’.
That’s what I’m hoping to do, as my day down by the wheels of BA planes isn’t over yet.
ADMs typically deal with six to eight planes during their shifts, and for us there’s little time to rest.
Divya and I drive off to the other side of Heathrow in an electric car, arriving at a mammoth Boeing 777. This is BA087. Destination: Vancouver, Canada.
For long-haul flights, the turnaround window is longer, at around 150 minutes. We go through the same routine as earlier, but this time, there’s a bit of pre-take-off turbulence to navigate.
An engineer makes his way to the cockpit, so we await the thumbs-up, but it doesn’t come. Another engineer arrives. Then another.
For long-haul flights, the turnaround window is longer, at around 150 minutes
There’s an issue with the communication system between the plane and air-traffic control. An ADM’s absolute priority is safety.
The problem on this plane is fixable, but it can’t go until it’s fixed. Although we do miss the time slot, it’s not by much. The plane takes off a mere 22 minutes late.
After my shift, Tom Moran, BA’s director of Heathrow, tells me: ‘The role of ADM is critical in co-ordinating aircraft movements, liaising with ground teams and crew colleagues, and keeping the whole team informed of each flight’s status. Each day and each flight is different.’
Just one day down on the ramp was enough to prove that to me.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .