Welcome to Heathrow Airport
Search Heathrow
Heathrow is the UK’s only hub airport and an important economic asset. But today Heathrow is full and vulnerable to foreign competition.
The making of Terminal 5
September: Construction begins on Heathrow Terminal 5 after 13 years of planning and a four-year public inquiry. The first job is to start moving earth so the foundations can be built.
2003
April: An archaeological dig at the site begins to wind down. More than 80,000 artefacts have been found.
July: A full-size section of the Terminal 5 roof is erected in Yorkshire for testing. As a result, more than 140 issues are resolved, averting a potential four-month delay.
August: A full-scale section of the baggage system is built and tested.
November: Work begins on the steel superstructure of the main terminal building.
March: Tunnelling for the westbound London Underground Piccadilly Line extension is finished ten days early.
May: The twin rivers, which ran through the middle of the Terminal 5 site, are successfully diverted. The scheme receives accolades from the Environment Agency and Royal Parks Agency.
July: The Terminal 5 project achieves one million man-hours without a reportable accident for the first time. It goes on to do this another nine times.
January: Nine separate tunnels for road, rail, London Underground and drainage are completed.
February: The Terminal 5 project reaches the half-way mark. It has taken 22 million man-hours to get to this stage.
March: The sixth and final section of the main terminal roof is lifted into position, creating a new 21st century skyline for Heathrow.
April: The new air traffic control tower's main structure is completed.
September: Transport Secretary Alistair Darling performs the Terminal 5 topping-out ceremony in front of workers and invited guests.
December: Terminal 5 is made weathertight with the completion of more than 30,000 sq metres of glass façade, 11 weeks early.
May: The new Airbus A380 superjumbo spends the night at Terminal 5 on its first visit to the northern hemisphere for testing at Heathrow.
July: The Duke of Edinburgh makes a personal tour of Terminal 5.
September: An unexploded World War II bomb is discovered and safely disposed of. Six vehicles for the terminal's automated transit system arrive from the USA and are lowered into their tunnels.
November: The entire construction site, with 7,000 workers, achieves two million man-hours without a reportable accident for the second time. Satellite Terminal 5B is virtually complete.
February: The Colne Valley landscaping project begins. It will include cycle paths and bridleways for local communities.
March: One million man-hours without a reportable accident is achieved for the eighth time.
April: The new air traffic control tower becomes fully operational.
May: Forty semi-mature London plane trees are planted on the Interchange Plaza. The big clean-up of all the steelwork and glass façades begins.
July: The first London Underground train arrives at Terminal 5, ahead of trial operations.
September: With six months to go until opening day, 15,000 volunteers have been recruited to help test Terminal 5.
March: The Queen officially opens Terminal 5 on March 14, following months of trials involving thousands of members of the public. The terminal opens for business with the landing of British Airways flight BA026 from Hong Kong at 4:50am on 27 March 2008.
Watch a time-lapse video of Terminal 5 being built
Your transport
-
Help Book parking
-
Underground and trains
Please select from the links below
-
Buses and coaches
Please select from the links below
-
Car and bikes
Please select from the links below