New Terminal Plans for Heathrow Airport

22nd August 2009


Star Alliance airlines will be based under a single terminal at Heathrow under plans unveiled today.The plans show that the work will take place in two phases in an effort to keep passenger disruption to a minimum. The £1 billion new Terminal 2 will become the home for members of the alliance.

Steven Morgan, capital director for parent company BAA, said: “The challenges are not to be underestimated. We are constructing a significant new building in the middle of one of the world’s busiest airports and ensuring the operating airport is not affected is an absolute priority.”

The first stage will see the creation of a terminal building with 185,000m2 of floor space on the site of the existing Terminal 2 and Queen’s Building. The two buildings are being demolished later this year with construction on the first phase due for completion in 2013.

Phase two is scheduled to run consecutively and will extend the new Terminal 2 into the existing Terminal 1 site. This phase, which also includes the construction of a second satellite building, is set to increase the capacity of Terminal 2 to roughly 30 million passengers a year.

Terminal 1 will close when phase two is complete in 2019 but will remain open throughout construction.The new facility will be able to handle an estimated 20 million passengers a year.
The development of Terminal 2 is part of a £4.8 billion investment at Heathrow Airport, the major aim being to provide customers with the best possible services and facilities.

Terminal 2 is one element of a £2.2 billion investment on the eastern part of Heathrow. A satellite pier for the new terminal has been under construction since 2008. It is set to provide 16 additional stands and will be connected via an underground link to the main terminal building.

In a two-level departure lounge, ten-metre high windows will provide airport views and nine new aircraft parking stands, a third of which are configured to accommodate a new generation of aircraft such as the A380.

Passengers using terminal 2 will have access to self-service check-in machines, fast bag drop areas and if preferred can still use the traditional check in desks. There will also be 15 security search lanes.The new building is expected to produce 40% less carbon than the ones it is replacing as solar-gathering panels on the roof will further reduce the dependency on energy supplies. A new energy centre, partially fuelled by renewable resources, will provide heating and cooling for the building.

Heathrow chief operating officer Mike Brown said: “These exciting plans will be a reality for millions of Heathrow’s passengers, making every passenger journey a better one and underlining Heathrow’s pre-eminent position at the heart of international travel and the global economy. Heathrow airport parking will be much sought after following the building of the new terminal so book early to avoid disapointment