The British Airways crash-landing at Heathrow on Thursday caused flights to be cancelled and others to be diverted to different London airports.

Flights were diverted north to Stansted and Luton and south to Gatwick as one of Heathrow's runways remained closed.

Several short-haul flights were cancelled as airport chiefs tried to cope with the fallout from Thursday lunchtime's incident. Problems could persist for the rest of the week.

"There will be some disruption today as a result," BA chief executive Willie Walsh told reporters, urging passengers to consult the BA web site.

Walsh praised the pilot, who he said was one of the fleet's most experienced, with about 20 years' service.

Media reports said the pilot had lost all power late in his approach and had to "glide" down to the runway, which he failed to reach by several hundred metres, narrowly skimming over the airport's perimeter road.

A spokesman for Heathrow said the southern runway was currently closed but the northern runway was operating.

"Some arriving aircraft are being diverted to other airports -- this is being done on a flight-by-flight basis," he said in a statement.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch was attending the scene.

"Passengers flying from Heathrow today should contact their airline regarding the status of their flight," he added.