Timeline: Foiled terror plot

Wednesday 9th August 11.50pm local time (Thursday 10.50am NZT): Overnight, 21 people in London, Birmingham and High Wycombe are arrested in connection with a suspected terrorist plot to blow up aircraft in mid-air.

Thursday 10th August 2am local time (1pm NZT): The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre raises UK threat state to highest level - critical.

5am: First flights scheduled out of Heathrow.

Passengers crowd terminals as they hear they may carry only essential hand luggage.

7am: John Reid says police raids are part of "major counter-terrorism operation" against plot designed to "bring down a number of aircraft through mid-flight explosions."

7.30am: Confusion and queues in airports.

Stansted Airport asks passengers only to travel if essential.

8.10am: Extra security drafted in at Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports.

8.20am: British Airways warns against non-essential plane travel.

8.50am: All incoming flights to Heathrow, not already in the air, suspended.

9.15am: German carrier Lufthansa, Spanish airline Iberia and Greek carrier Olympic all suspend flights to the UK.

9.22am: Home Secretary John Reid and Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander deliver "war-style" speeches from Home Office studio.

9.30am: British Airways says short-haul UK and European inbound and outbound flights to and from Heathrow are cancelled until 3pm.

9.40am: Tony Douglas, from BAA Heathrow, says the overnight operation has come as "a surprise" to Heathrow.

10.00am: Airline and travel shares badly hit.

10.30am: Deputy Commissioner Paul Stephenson of Scotland Yard says: "Aim was to smuggle explosives onto aeroplanes in hand luggage."

11.45am: British Airways cancels 200 flights.

Ryanair cancels almost 100 flights.

12.10pm: Head of Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch Peter Clarke says investigation reached "critical point" on Wednesday night.

12.20pm: John Reid says police are confident "mainplayers" had been "accounted for".

12.20pm: 400,000 Britons will be affected by flight chaos during the day, airline information company OAG estimates.

1pm: Labour MP Mohammad Sawar says demands for a recall of Parliament are intensifying in the wake of the plot.

1.10pm: All easyJet flights out of Gatwick cancelled.

1.30pm: Officials in Washington say terrorists targeted three US airlines - United, American and Continental - hoping to hit flights to New York, Washington and California.

US government bans drinks, hair gels and lotions from flights. US threat level for flights from Britain raised to "red" - severe risk of terrorist attacks. All other flights are "orange".

2.20pm: Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff describes plot as "well advanced" and bearing hallmarks of al Qaeda.

US air marshals sent to the UK for increased security on flights.

3pm: Mr Blair thanks the police and security services.

4.20pm: Mr Prescott arrives at No 10 to attend Cobra meeting.

4.50pm: Mr Bush thanks Mr Blair for "busting the plot".

5pm: Markets do not recover, with BA shares 5 per cent down, easyJet down 3per cent and Intercontinental Hotels down 4 per cent at 834p.

- INDEPENDENT