Airport News

The terminal will close after 47 years with airlines having completed their move to new, modern world class facilities

Fittingly the final departure will be a British Airways flight to Hanover, as its former BEA predecessor was the first airline to operate from the terminal in 1968.

Since 2003, Heathrow has invested £11 billion in transforming Heathrow. 

Over the last year, the majority of flights have been moved from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 and as a result, over 60% of Heathrow passengers will pass through new facilities in either Terminal 5 or Terminal 2. 

According to the gateway, the terminal's closure will pave the way for "improved service and wayfinding around the airport and eventually an extension of the new Terminal 2".

Terminal 1 was renowned for being the biggest short-haul terminal of its kind in Western Europe and handled approximately 9 million passengers at full capacity. 

In the last few weeks, the terminal has been home to just 17 flights and around 1,700 passengers a day as airlines were phased out of the Terminal.

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.”

Did you know?

Terminal 1 became operational in May 1968 operating BEA, BKS, Autair and Cambrian domestic flights only.

The first flight was a BEA 5362 to Edinburgh.

At the time of opening, Terminal 1 was the largest airport terminal in Europe.

The opening of Terminal 1 led to the renaming of all three terminals in Heathrow’s Central Terminal Area; the Europa Terminal became Terminal 2, The Oceanic terminal became Terminal 3.

BEA operated a shuttle service to Glasgow which launched from Terminal 1 – this was a service from which passengers could simply turn up and pay on board.