British Airways (BA) said it had resumed flights at Heathrow Airport on Friday while a massive backlog of passengers remains following wildcat strikes.

BA said 1,000 staff who walked out in sympathy with workers sacked by caterer Gate Gourmet, the company which supplies food to BA planes, were returning to work.

The BA strike is thought to have affected as many as 70,000 passengers.

BA dispatched 31 flights during the evening, and warned passengers that only those with confirmed reservations would be able to fly.

Anyone without a reservation on the small number of flights was warned not to go to the airport. The airline planned to refund those who had to stay in a hotel on Friday night.

At the airport there are barriers in place, and only those with reservations are being allowed through. 

Talks between Gate Gourmet and the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU), organizer of the strikes, have been adjourned until Saturday.

Gate Gourmet officials have said the talks were constructive, and the TGWU described them as "useful".

Nearly 100 BA aircraft and 1,000 pilots and cabin crew were still in the wrong place at sites around the world, the airline said

And there is still a huge backlog of passengers from Thursday and Friday's canceled flights, which could mean disruption for days to come.

Two unofficial strikes lie at the heart of the travel chaos.

The first, by about 600 Gate Gourmet employees over the firm's restructuring plans, led to them being dismissed.

The second walk-out by BA baggage handlers and other ground staff, in sympathy with the catering workers, caused the airline to cancel hundreds of flights on Thursday and Friday.

BA would usually run about 550 flights a day from Heathrow during the busy holiday season, involving 70,000 passengers.

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2005)