Plans for a grand procession of the Olympic torch through Terminal 5 this weekend have been ditched for a more low-key entry to Britain as Heathrow’s newest arrivals hall remained mired in chaos.

Organisers of the London leg of the torch relay on Sunday have decided to route the Olympic flame through the Royal Suite, which is used by the Queen, The Times has learnt.

The new VIP section at Terminal 5 had been a potential entry point for the Beijing torch, which arrives from St Petersburg on Saturday night under tight security. But, after the terminal’s disastrous opening, the Chinese-led relay team will instead land at Heathrow’s dedicated building for VIPs arriving by private jets. The Royal Suite has direct road access and was considered more practical for the torch, which is travelling 85,000 miles around the globe in a custom-made plane designed to ensure the flame never goes out.

“This is standard practice for VIP arrivals at Heathrow,” a spokesman for BAA, the airport operator, said. “The Athens torch relay crew arrived in the same way in 2004.”

The torch’s presence in London is expected to attract huge attention as the flame passes between 80 runners, starting with Sir Steve Redgrave, the quintuple Olympic rowing champion, on an eight-hour journey from Wembley Stadium to Greenwich.

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