Heathrow Airport Facilities

The airport has five terminals, with Terminal 2 currently being constructed, due to be completed in 2014. All terminals contain a range of shops, restaurants, toilets facilities and check-in areas.

Terminals at Heathrow Airport

Terminal 1 is home to bmi, the Star Alliance airlines and Aer Lingus, and underwent an extensive renovation in 2005. Terminal 1 handles all domestic flights and some long haul flights including flights to places such as San Francisco in the USA and Cape Town in South Africa. It is planned to be phased out of use in the next few years in order to allow the completion of Terminal 2.

Terminal 3 mainly deals with long haul flights and was recently extended as to be able to accommodate the superjet Airbus A380. The forecourt has also recently been renovated to improve the passenger experience, which also involved Virgin Atlantic being allocated a dedicated check-in area, known as 'Zone A', which features a large sculpture and atrium.

Terminal 4 can accommodate 45 airlines including the SkyTeam alliance; it’s connected to the other terminals by the Heathrow Cargo Tunnel. Terminal 4 (as well as Terminals 3 and 5) can accommodate the Airbus A380.

Terminal 5 is the world famous, four storey, main terminal building for British Airways. It’s the largest free standing structure in the UK and can handle up to 30 million passengers per year. It has its own car park as well as a dedicated rail station, along with a range of departure lounges for customers. Terminal 5’s frontal building also boasts courtyards containing a dancing fountain and a grove of 40 London Plane trees.