Have you ever wondered why Heathrow’s Terminal 1 stands empty, a ghost of its bustling past? You may have noticed the abandoned-looking building while travelling through the airport, or perhaps wondered why the Terminal numbers start at 2. Keep on reading to find out why!
Terminal 1 first opened its doors in 1969, with a ceremony led by the Queen. It was home to a number of airlines, including British Airways & Virgin Atlantic, and was recognised as the largest new airport terminal in Europe at the time.
At 9.30pm on the 29th of June 2015, the final flight left Terminal 1, before it was closed for all passengers. The terminal was closed to allow for the expansion of Terminal 2. The airport decided to consolidate operations to improve efficiency and modernize its facilities. Since then, the building has remained closed, creating an interesting sight for travellers who might wonder why the terminal numbers start at 2.
So, what is Terminal 1 used for today? Although its doors may have closed to passengers, the terminal still remains operational inside. The primary role of Terminal 1 now is to serve as the baggage handling hub for Terminal 2. The baggage teams continue to operate from Terminal 1, where they process all the luggage checked in at Terminal 2.
Emergency service teams, such as the Met Police & the London Fire Brigade also use areas of the building for training sessions.
You can read more behind the scenes inside terminal 1 on Heathrow’s blog here: https://www.heathrow.com/heathrow-blog/behind-the-scenes-inside-terminal-1
Think of the number of engineers collaborating to design & build a vast network such as an airport. According to Heathrow.com, it took 60,000 people to build Terminal 5 alone. That’s impressive! Collaborative engineering, a theme valued here at KITE, has been shared and displayed by those working together at Heathrow and airports across the world.
It is the collaboration between like-minded engineers across the infrastructure industry that keeps busy networks like Heathrow moving.