British Airways faces is a potential compensation bill of a quarter of a million pounds after a ground handling mishap at London Heathrow airport. The Boeing 787 due to operate flight BA299 to Chicago O'Hare was being checked by engineers as refuelling took place. A platform was placed beneath the fuselage. As the weight of the aircraft increased, it sank onto the equipment – which became jammed beneath the plane. The fuselage sustained “minor damage”, according to the airline. After attempts to solve the problem and to find another aircraft to operate the service failed, the 1.10pm departure was cancelled – along with the inbound overnight flight from Chicago to London, BA298. The aircraft that was damaged has a capacity of 256 passengers. Assuming both legs had around 240 people booked, and all claimed the £520 compensation, the payout would reach £250,000. In addition, British Airways had to provide hotels for the passengers at Heathrow. They are being rebooked on alternative flights on Monday.…