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Heathrow’s new-look terminal plans
Sunday, 10 Aug, 2009
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Star Alliance airlines will be based under a single terminal at Heathrow under plans unveiled today.
The £1 billion new Terminal 2 will become the home for members of the alliance.
Construction is taking place in two phases in an effort to minimise disruption to passengers.
Steven Morgan, capital director for parent company BAA, said: “The challenges are not to be underestimated. We are constructing a significant new building in the middle of one of the world’s busiest airports and ensuring the operating airport is not affected is an absolute priority.”
The first stage will see the creation of a terminal building with 185,000m2 of floor space on the site of the existing Terminal 2 and Queen’s Building.
Both buildings are being demolished later this year with construction on the first phase due for completion in 2013.
Phase two is scheduled to run consecutively and will extend the new Terminal 2 into the existing Terminal 1 site.
This phase, which also includes the construction of a second satellite building, is set to increase the capacity of Terminal 2 to 30 million passengers a year.
Terminal 1 will close when phase two is complete in 2019 but will remain open throughout construction.
The new facility will be able to handle an estimated 20 million passengers a year.
The development of Terminal 2 is part of a £4.8 billion investment across the airport, aimed at giving travellers using Heathrow with new facilities and better service.
Terminal 2 is one element of a £2.2 billion investment on the eastern part of Heathrow. A satellite pier for the new terminal has been under construction since 2008. It is set to provide 16 additional stands and will be connected via an underground link to the main terminal building.
Passengers departing Terminal 2 will find 11,300m2 of floor space, accommodating self-service check-in machines, fast-bag drops, traditional check-in desks and 15 security search lanes.
In a two-level departure lounge, ten-metre high windows will provide airport views and nine new aircraft parking stands, a third of which are configured to accommodate a new generation of aircraft such as the A380.
Terminal 2 is expected to produce 40% less carbon than the buildings it is replacing. Solar-gathering panels on the roof will further reduce the dependency on energy supplies. A new energy centre, partially fuelled by renewable resources, will provide heating and cooling for the building.
Heathrow chief operating officer Mike Brown said: “These exciting plans will be a reality for millions of Heathrow’s passengers, making every passenger journey a better one and underlining Heathrow’s pre-eminent position at the heart of international travel and the global economy.
“The new Terminal 2 is part of a major programme of work already underway.
“Passengers travelling through Heathrow will be using new and extensively refurbished facilities which provide us with an excellent platform from which we can provide a better service to our customers than ever before.”
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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