Heathrow Airport celebrates 70th anniversary!

3. Jan 2016
by BusinessClass

Heathrow Airport will this year celebrate its 70th anniversary. 

On May 31, 1946, Heathrow officially opened for civilian aviation. To mark the year, over the course of 2016, staff, passengers and the local community will celebrate a number of iconic moments throughout the airport’s illustrious history.

Ownership of Heathrow transferred to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, 1946 Originally built for military purposes during the Second World War, Heathrow, then named London Airport, was handed over by the Air Ministry to the Minister of Civil Aviation (pictured above) on January 1, 1946. The first commercial flight to depart from the airport was a British South American Airlines Lancastrian ‘Star Light’ to Buenos Aires. From its humble origins, Heathrow is now the third busiest airport in the world based on passenger traffic, and can accommodate over 73 million passengers annually, compared to 63,000 in 1946. During its first year of commercial operations, Heathrow’s passenger terminals were made from ex‑military marquees that formed a ‘tented village’ along the Bath Road. To reach aircraft parked on the apron, passengers walked over wooden duckboards to protect their footwear from the muddy airfield.

South American Airlines Lancastrian ‘Star Light’ interior Speaking of the anniversary year, Heathrow CEO John Holland Kaye said: “This is a significant milestone which marks the incredible transformation of Heathrow. Heathrow has come a long way from being a military airfield to a national asset which is now a globally recognised brand. I’m looking forward to celebrating the history of this amazing airport this year but I’m also looking forward to the next 70 years as Heathrow aims to be the best connected and most environmentally responsible airport in the world.” Since 2003, £12 billion has been invested in transforming Heathrow. Much of the investment has been put into upgrading and modernising Terminals 5 and 2. The investment has paid off as in 2015 the airport was voted ‘Best Airport in the World’ by the Independent Travel Awards, ‘Best Airport in Western Europe’ by the Skytrax World Airport Awards, and passengers voted T5 as the ‘World’s Best Terminal’ for the fourth year in a row. Terminal 2 is Heathrow’s newest terminal and is the only airport terminal in the world to be awarded a BREEAM certification for its sustainable design and energy management. Terminal 1 is currently closed and an extension of the new Terminal 2 will eventually take its place. Heathrow is also in the midst on a long-running dispute with Gatwick Airport over which will receive a coveted new runway - a decision which has been continually delayed by David Cameron's airport committee. With a decision now not expected until at least next summer, Heathrow have claimed that “if the Government supports a third runway at Heathrow in the summer, then Terminal 2 will be extended and a new terminal will be built adjacent to Terminal 5, providing enough capacity to connect Britain to the world for the 21st century.”

How Heathrow will look with third runway

A brief History of Heathrow

  • 1944:

  •  Construction of London Airport's runways begins

  • 1946:

  •  London Airport officially opens as a commercial airport

  • 1955:

  •  Her Majesty the Queen opens the Central Terminal Area and Control Tower

  • 1957:

  •  The first non-stop flight to California sets a new record for distance and time

  • 1964:

  •  The Beatles are mobbed at London Airport

  • 1966:

  •  The British Airports Authority is created. London Airport is renamed 'Heathrow'

  • 1969:

  •  Terminal 1 is opened and existing buildings renamed Terminals 2 and 3

  • 1976:

  •  Concorde makes its first passenger flight

  • 1977:

  •  The London Underground link is opened

  • 1986:

  •  His Royal Highness Prince Charles and Princess Diana inaugurate Terminal 4

  • 1987:

  •  The British Airports Authority is privatised as BAA plc

  • 1997:

  •  The Terminal 5 public planning inquiry ends – the longest in UK history

  • 1998:

  •  The Heathrow Express rail service is launched

  • 2003:

  •  Three Concordes make their final touchdown at Heathrow

  • 2006:

  •  The Airbus A380 makes its first UK landing into a newly built Pier 6 at Terminal 3

  • 2007:

  •  A new air traffic control tower is operational – the tallest in the UK

  • 2008:

  •  Terminal 5 is officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen in March; The first commercial A380 flight arrives at Heathrow

  • 2009:

  •  Terminal 4 underwent a major refurbishment to improve facilities

  • 2010:

  •  Demolition work started on Terminal 2 to make way for its £1 billion replacement which opens on 4 June 2014

  • 2014:

  •  The brand new Terminal 2: The Queen's Terminal opened for business on 4 June. The first airline to move in was United Airlines

  • 2015:

  •  Icelandair moved in to Terminal 2 on 25 March

  • 2015:

  •  Terminal 1 closed

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