Her Majesty the Queen of England inaugurated the new £2.5 billion Terminal 2 at London’s Heathrow airport on Monday, June 23 2014. This is part of an £11 billion investment in the upgradation of one of the world’s busiest airports. The new Terminal 2 has been renamed The Queen’s Terminal and when fully functional will have the capacity to cater to over 30 million passengers every year.
The original Terminal 2 was Heathrow’s first passenger terminal. When it was opened in 1955, by Her Majesty The Queen, it was the most modern airport facility of its day with silver service restaurants, a cocktail lounge and a rooftop viewing gallery. In the years that followed the terminal witnessed the arrival of The Beatles, Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot. By the beginning of the 21st century Terminal 2 had outlived its intended purpose. Designed to welcome 1 million passengers, by the turn of the century it was straining under the weight of 8 million. The opening of Terminal 5 in March 2008 created the opportunity to demolish the old building and make way for a modern terminal to replace Terminals 1 and 2.
Terminal 2 successfully welcomed its first passengers on 4 June and is now home to United, Air Canada, ANA and Air China. Eventually it will be home to 26 airlines – 23 members of the Star Alliance as well as Aer Lingus, Germanwings and Virgin Atlantic Little Red. Airlines will move into the new terminal in phases over the next six months. When fully occupied, Terminal 2 will have 332 daily flights to 54 global destinations.
