One year from Thursday, London's HeathrowAirport will open Terminal 5, the new
home of British Airways. More than 90 percent of the terminal's construction
already is complete and the project is on time and on budget, the carrier said.
In September, BA will begin recruiting volunteer passengers to test such
aspects of the building as parking, check-in, security and baggage and IT
systems. BA's move to Terminal 5 will take place in two stages one month apart,
with most short-haul flights and all long-haul flights from Terminal 1
operating from there on opening day, in addition to short-haul service from
Terminal 4 and Miami flights from Terminal 3. Terminal 4 long-haul services,
with the exception of Australian flights, will follow. On the first day of
operation, Terminal 5 is expected to handle 40,000 passengers and annually, BA
expects to process approximately 30 million customers. "When T5 opens and
30 million passengers move out of existing terminals, for the first time we
will have space to breathe in the central terminal area and have a once in a
lifetime opportunity to redevelop the rest of the airport and bring it up to a
comparable standard to T5," said Tony Douglas, CEO of airport operator BAA
Heathrow. "By 2012, we aim to have either re-built or redeveloped our
existing facilities and returned Heathrow to its rightful status as the world's
leading international airport." The new terminal features 60 aircraft
stands and rail service to the London Underground Piccadilly Line and Heathrow
Express, as well as two satellite buildings that will be complete by 2010. Too,
high-end retailers such as Harrods, Paul Smith and Tiffany will open shops in
the £4.3 billion complex. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey also will open his first
airport-based restaurant there.