London Heathrow to Close Terminal 1 After Nearly 50 Years of Operation

London Heathrow Airport announced that it will close the doors of its Terminal 1 on June 29, after 47 years of operation.

The airport has invested £11 billion ($17.3 million) in expansions and transformations since 2003, and over the past year, a majority of Terminal 1 flights have been moved to the airport’s Terminal 2.  In recent weeks, Terminal 1 saw just 17 flights and approximately 1,700 passengers a day.

The terminal will see its final departure on the evening of June 29 with a British Airways flight to Hanover.

In the future, London Heathrow plans to expand its Terminal 2 into the space where Terminal 1 once was.

The airport’s Terminal 1 was opened by Elizabeth II in April 1969.  At the time of its opening, it was the largest airport terminal in Europe.  In its heyday, it was the largest short-haul terminal of its kind in Western Europe, handling approximately nine million passengers as it operated at full capacity.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)