What has happened to Terminal 1 at Heathrow?

Heathrow's first terminal is being razed to the ground. Demolition work started today in order to make way for its new, ?1 billion replacement - Terminal 2. The new terminal will be home to Star Alliance airlines, and 20 million passengers will use its modern facilities every year.



As of 2026, Heathrow Terminal 1 remains a "ghost terminal," having officially closed to the public on June 29, 2015. Once the largest terminal in Europe when it opened in 1968, it was decommissioned to allow for the expansion of Terminal 2 (The Queen's Terminal). While the main structure still stands, its interior has been stripped of retail and airline counters, with many items auctioned off years ago. Today, the building is primarily used for emergency services training, baggage system overflow for Terminal 2, and staff storage. In 2025, Heathrow management reiterated plans for its eventual full demolition to make way for the second phase of Terminal 2's expansion, though a firm 2026 start date for the wrecking balls remains tied to the airport's broader long-term master plan and the ongoing debates regarding a potential third runway.

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Heathrow Terminal 1 is a disused airport terminal at London Heathrow Airport that was in operation between 1968 and 2015.

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This resulted in luggage delays, long queues and delays for travellers with reduced mobility. As with other airports worldwide, Heathrow has been experiencing chaos due to staff shortages amid a summer rush as Covid-19 bans are being lifted.

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The short answer is that yes, Heathrow Airport had a Terminal 1 for many decades. Interestingly however it was not the first terminal at Heathrow Airport. The Europa building, which opened in 1955, was the airport's first Terminal and was confusingly renamed Terminal 2 when the new Terminal 1 was opened.

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The original T2, Heathrow's oldest passenger terminal operating since 1955, was closed in November 2009 and demolished a year later to enable the construction of a future-ready terminal in its place.

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In June 2021, Terminal 4 reopened as a terminal for passengers arriving from red list countries only. The rail and underground station remained closed back then. On 23 February 2022, Heathrow CEO John Holland Kaye announced that Heathrow Terminal 4 was to reopen in time for the summer travel peak in July.

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Heathrow Terminal One caters largely for domestic and Irish routes, as well as some European and long-haul flights. Fifteen airlines fly from terminal one, including Aer Lingus, bmi, British Airways and United Airlines. Terminal one handles over 25 million passengers a year.

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All European carriers except Icelandair use terminal 2A to board and disembark passengers. Air Canada and Turkish Airlines also use this building for their short haul flights. 2B was designed by Grimshaw Architects, and built by Balfour Beatty.

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News. London Heathrow Terminal 2, 'The Queen's Terminal', has been awarded for the first time as the Best Terminal in the World at the 2018 World Sky Awards by Skytrax, which were awarded on March 21st in Stockholm.

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Night-time (23:30 - 06:00) operations at Heathrow are heavily restricted by the Government, which sets a limit of 5,800 night-time take-offs and landings a year. A night quota limit is also in place, which caps the amount of noise the airport can make at night.

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As with other airports worldwide, Heathrow has been experiencing chaos due to staff shortages amid a summer rush as Covid-19 bans are being lifted.

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Heathrow's first terminal is being razed to the ground. Demolition work started today in order to make way for its new, £1 billion replacement - Terminal 2. The new terminal will be home to Star Alliance airlines, and 20 million passengers will use its modern facilities every year.

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Terminal 3 is used by the majority of the members of the Oneworld airline alliance: American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Royal Jordanian, and SriLankan Airlines. British Airways, which mainly uses Terminal 5, also offers some flights from this terminal.

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Terminal 5, which opened on March 27, 2008, was designed by Rogers, Stirk, Harbour & Partners. It was built at a cost of £4.3 billion. It is exclusively used by British Airways and Iberia and has the capacity to handle more than 30 million customers a year.

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The below options are also available for getting between the terminals. The Heathrow Express is free to use when travelling between terminals.

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LHR Ground Transportation Post-security/Airside Once you have disembarked your first flight at LHR, follow the signs for flight connections where a shuttle bus will transfer you to your connecting terminal. Buses depart every 6 to 10 minutes.

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T5's computer system didn't recognise staff IDs. Doors that should have opened were locked, 17 out of the 18 terminal lifts were jammed, the transit system that moves passengers from the main terminal to the satellite terminal broke down, and the carousels, escalators, walkways and electronic screens all failed.

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