Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 1 was once the largest airport terminal in Western Europe, opening in 1969 before closing in 2015 after 46 years of operation
Heathrow Airport, Britain’s biggest transport hub, welcomes tens of millions of travellers every year.
Countless passengers amongst these millions may have wondered why there is no Terminal 1 at Heathrow, despite the existence of Terminals 2 to 5. The original terminal is currently undergoing a lengthy process of demolition.
Terminal 1 was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1969 and was Western Europe’s largest airport terminal at that time. It represented post-war internationalism, but its heyday proved fleeting as it shut down in 2015 following 46 years of service.
Notwithstanding its closure, Terminal 1 underwent substantial developments during the 90s and 2000s. A fresh pier was built to accommodate the expanding fleet of contemporary aircraft, with additional extensions completed in 2005.
These comprised a more spacious departure lounge, extra shopping and restaurants, and increased seating capacity.
Nevertheless, a decade afterwards, the terminal was shut. This didn’t surprise many travellers, as flights were departing and arriving more and more ferquently at the airport’s alternative terminals, including the recently constructed Terminal 5.
These newer terminals were better equipped at handling more modern aircraft and higher passenger numbers.
Following Terminal 1’s closure, Terminal 2 was given the green light to grow, a decision that proved more logical than preserving the obsolete Terminal 1. The final departure from Terminal 1 left for Frankfurt, Germany, at 9.30pm on June 29, 2015.
In the years since the terminal shut down, plans were made for its gradual dismantling over a five to ten-year timeframe.
This scheme has involved the demolition of Viscount House and the careful extraction of asbestos, alongside internal strip-outs including the removal of staircases and numerous fixtures in baggage hall zones. The Queen’s Building in Terminal 1 was likewise gutted as part of a redevelopment initiative.
Despite its lack of passengers these days, the Terminal was still maintained after 2015 – according to the airport itself, to ‘be kept fit for purpose for safety and escape route reasons’.
The maintenance team, therefore, put a lot of work into it, but various emergency services also used it for training drills.
At any given time, there could have been up to 200 people running through scenarios there.
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