BA pilot drives cancer sufferer home during Heathrow chaos

A British Airways pilot drove a passenger with cancer home after the elderly man was left stranded at Heathrow Airport during the weekend of chaos.

Stephen Wearing, 61, flew to Heathrow on an 11-hour journey from Rio de Janeiro when he was forced to park the plane for hours before a gate became available.

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While speaking to passengers on the plane, he came across an elderly man who was returning for a cancer operation and said the person picking him up wasn't available after believing the flight had been cancelled.

Wearing told the Daily Telegraph: "There was a two hour wait for the people who transport wheelchair passengers, so I got my two bags and Victor and I pushed him through."

He then drove the pensioner to his home in Chelsea himself.

Captain Wearing explained to the newspaper: "Victor was ill with cancer, he'd had two strokes and we'd had to move him to Club to lie down."

Meanwhile, British Airways says: "As our IT systems move closer to full operational capacity, we will again run a full schedule at Gatwick and intend to operate a full long haul schedule and a high proportion of our short haul programme at Heathrow.

"Our terminals at Heathrow are still expected to be congested so we ask that you do not to come to the airport unless you have a confirmed booking for today and know that your flight is operating."