Terminal 5 up and running

Heathrow’s £4.3bn Terminal 5 officially opened for business on 27 March, six years after construction work first started on the mega project.

The steel-framed structure, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners, is officially the UK’s biggest free-standing building.

The Terminal 5 complex features 60 new aircraft stands; two satellite buildings, the second of which (phase 2) will be completed by 2010; rail links to London Underground and Heathrow Express; a new multi-storey car park; and extensive landscaping.

Commenting at the official opening, BAA Chairman Sir Nigel Rudd, said: “From every perspective, this is a landmark project and I am proud to think that Terminal 5 has become a model construction project, setting new, higher standards for an industry around the world.”