London Heathrow Airport will close its Terminal 1 (T1) building today (June 29) after nearly 47 years of service.
The terminal was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in April 1969, at which time it was the largest terminal in Europe. T1 has slowly been phased out of service following the opening of Terminal 5 (T5) in 2008, and the major refurbishment of Terminal 2 (T2) – the Queen’s Terminal. Its closure will now pave the way for the further expansion of T2.
The final departure will be a British Airways flight to Hanover, leaving on the evening of June 29, 2015. British Airways (formally BEA) was also the first airline to operate from the terminal in 1968 with a flight to Edinburgh Airport.
John Holland Kaye, CEO for London Heathrow, said, “The closure of T1 marks another important milestone in the transformation of Heathrow. T1 has served Britain well for nearly 50 years, but will soon make way for the expansion of T2, giving Britain a world class airport that we can all be proud of.”