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
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
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