London Heathrow Terminal 1 closes after 47 years
London Heathrow Terminal 1, commonly known as ‘T1’, closed its door yesterday after 47 years of operation. The terminal was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in April 1969, with British European Airways (now British Airways following a merger in 1974) the first airline to fly from the new terminal.
Over the last year, the majority of flights to and from Terminal 1 have been transferred to Terminal 2, meaning 60% of Heathrow’s passengers will now experience new “world class facilities” in Terminals 2 and 5. Since 2003, Heathrow has invested £11 billion in transforming the airport. This has been recognised by the 2015 World Airport Awards in which Heathrow was awarded the ‘Best Airport in Western Europe’ by passengers. An extension of the new Terminal 2 will eventually take the place of the old Terminal 1, and if the government agree to a third runway at Heathrow, then Terminal 2 will be expanded further. Terminal 1 was known for being the biggest short-haul terminal of its kind in Western Europe, and handled approximately 9 million passengers at full capacity. Heathrow CEO John Holland Kaye said; “The closure of Terminal 1 marks another important milestone in the transformation of Heathrow. Terminal 1 has served Britain well for nearly 50 years, but will soon make way for the expansion of Terminal 2, giving Britain a world class airport that we can all be proud of.” The closure of T1 also marks the beginning of other important changes at Heathrow, such as widening the taxiways on the north side of the airfield to facilitate A380s, and installing a new generation of hold baggage screening.
Terminal 1 in 1969
London Heathrow in 2030
