STRESSED-OUT student Jim Tornqvist may have lost crucial work because of the nightmare launch of Heathrow Airport’s new terminal.

The first year Huddersfield University undergraduate – currently preparing for exams – has not seen vital coursework and text books since he touched down at Terminal 5 on Sunday.

The work was in bags that also contained essential medication for anaemia, as well as clothes and valuables.

There was no sign of his luggage when he got off his flight from Romania, where he had been visiting his girlfriend.

Despite promises from British Airways staff that the luggage will be sent to him, Jim, 21, fears he has seen the last of it.

The Swedish student, who is studying marketing, said: “It’s an absolute nightmare. I have exams coming up and I need that work.

“I don’t react angrily when things like this happen – I understand there are people involved and no-one is a machine.

“When machines break down it’s not always the people’s fault, but this is definitely a management issue.

“I had heard before I left Romania there were some problems, but there were no direct flights back to Manchester so I had no choice but to go via Heathrow.

“The day before I left, I read that the problems had been fixed but upon arrival it didn’t take long before I saw that it was absolute chaos.

“There were 250m long queues at the customer service desk – people were actually sleeping in the line.”

Jim was due to catch a connecting flight from Heathrow to Manchester, but it was cancelled because of snow on the runway.

He was told he could either stay in London overnight to wait for the next flight or make his own way back to Manchester.

He spent the next six hours searching for his luggage in “chaotic” conditions.

“The carousels designated for cancelled flights were absolutely jam packed from flights that had landed 10 hours earlier,” he said.

“There was a sea of bags stacked up in the middle of the floor. Anyone could have gone in and picked up a bag and walked away.

“The staff were complaining about their wages. There were scuffles between staff and other travellers – some of them had been there 14 hours.”

Eventually he gave up and took a taxi into London, from where he caught the train home.

He added: “BA said it could be up to two weeks before I get the luggage back, but I don’t think I’ll get it.

“And they say they will compensate me, but they haven’t said how much. They can’t replace the work I have done.”

BA were unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.