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29th March 2008
The Queen has officially opened Heathrow’s controversial Terminal 5 in a ceremony attended by around 800 invited guests, many of whom were involved in the terminal’s construction.
The Queen’s visit to the airport comes 53 years after she opened Heathrow’s first passenger terminal in 1955. She congratulated all of those involved with the construction of Terminal 5, she said: “My warmest congratulations go to everyone who has worked on this highly impressive building, it embodies many achievements of which you can be rightly proud.” She then praised the building itself, calling it a “21st Century gateway to Britain… and the rest of the world.”
The terminal was built on the site of a former sewage works, and was designed by Stirk Harbour and Partners. It is thought to be the largest freestanding building in the UK, and Transport secretary Ruth Kelly has said that it is “destined to become one of London's most iconic transport buildings.”
Sir Nigel Rudd, chairman of BAA who operates Heathrow, believes that the opening of Terminal 5 is just the beginning for the airport. He said: “Terminal 5 marks the start of a new beginning for Heathrow, for BAA and for our millions of passengers. It will breathe new life into Heathrow, allowing us to… put Heathrow and BAA back where they belong - at the leading edge of global travel.”
However, not everybody was complementary about the new terminal. Richard Dyer, an aviation campaigner with Friends of the Earth, said that the government should ensure that the opening of Terminal 5 marks the end of airport expansion in the UK in order to comply with their own climate change policy. He said: “The government…should invest in fast rail links and ensure that Britain's share of international aviation emissions is included in its new climate change law.”
British Airways will be moving 92% of its flights to Terminal 5. They claim that the terminal’s new security procedures will ensure that the average passenger takes just ten minutes to get from the terminal entrance, past the security checkpoint and into the departure lounge. It is thought that check-in will be much faster in the new terminal as there are 96 self-service booths, as well as 54 fully staffed check-in desks. However, it isn’t all good news; the airline has also said that passengers will be turned away if they arrive less than 35 minutes prior to their flight. Passengers arriving late for their flight will be forced to rebook onto a later flight at a potential cost of hundreds of pounds. British Airways have justified this new move by saying that it is to prevent one or two late passengers from delaying the whole flight.
Construction on Terminal 5 began in September 2002 and since then, 60,000 people have worked around 100 million hours to complete the complex, which includes 50 new aircraft stands. The finished complex will also include two satellite buildings, as well as rail links to the London Underground and Heathrow Express, and a car park. These facilities will undoubtedly enhance conferences at Heathrow.
Terminal 5 will be used solely by British Airways for international flights, as well as journeys to and from Manchester, Newcastle, Belfast and Scottish airports. The first passengers to use Terminal 5 will be those aboard a British Airways flight from Hong Kong in a fortnight.