London Heathrow has a Terminal 2, Terminal 3, Terminal 4 and Terminal 5. But where is Terminal 1?
If you’ve ever flown through , you might have noticed something strange. One of the world’s busiest international airports has four passenger terminals, numbered 2 to 5.
There is no Terminal 1.
It almost sounds like somebody made a mistake when numbering the buildings. But Heathrow’s missing terminal has a fascinating history, stretching back to the golden age of jet travel.
And until recently, parts of it were still being used.
Terminal 1: A Giant of Its Time
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Heathrow’s Terminal 1 opened to passengers in 1968 and was officially inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in April 1969.
At the time, it was the largest airport terminal in Western Europe. Air travel was expanding rapidly, and aircraft such as the Boeing 707, Vickers VC10 and Hawker Siddeley Trident were transforming international travel.
Terminal 1 was primarily designed for domestic and European flights. British European Airways (BEA), which later became part of British Airways, was among its original operators.
Its first flight was BEA 5362 to Edinburgh.
Over the following decades, millions of passengers passed through the building. Airlines including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Brazil’s TAM operated services from the terminal.
Terminal 1 even handled special British Airways Concorde charter flights, including sightseeing trips over the Bay of Biscay.
For almost half a century, it was an important part of Heathrow.
Why Did Heathrow Close Terminal 1?
By the early 2000s, Heathrow faced a familiar problem: its ageing infrastructure was struggling to keep up with modern aviation.
Instead of continuing to renovate its older terminals indefinitely, Heathrow launched a major redevelopment programme.
Terminal 5 opened in 2008, providing British Airways with a huge new home.
The original Terminal 2, which dated back to 1955, closed in 2009 and was demolished. A completely new Terminal 2, known as The Queen’s Terminal, opened in June 2014.
The plan was to consolidate airline operations into larger, more modern facilities.
Terminal 1 was gradually emptied as airlines moved elsewhere. Many Star Alliance carriers relocated to the new Terminal 2, while British Airways concentrated more of its operations in Terminals 3 and 5.
Eventually, keeping Terminal 1 open no longer made sense.
On 29 June 2015, it welcomed its final passengers.
The Last Flight: British Airways BA970
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The final passenger flight from Terminal 1 was British Airways BA970 from London Heathrow to Hanover, Germany.
It departed at approximately 21:30 on 29 June 2015.
There was something rather fitting about British Airways operating the final departure. Its predecessor, BEA, had also operated the terminal’s first flight back in 1968.
After 47 years, Terminal 1’s passenger operations were over.
The terminal officially closed on 30 June 2015.
The Strange Afterlife of Terminal 1
You might assume that Heathrow immediately demolished the building.
It didn’t.
For more than a decade after closing to passengers, Terminal 1 remained standing beside Terminals 2 and 3.
Inside, the departure lounges were empty, the check-in desks were silent, and passengers no longer walked through the corridors.
But the building wasn’t completely abandoned.
Heathrow continued to use parts of Terminal 1 for the baggage-handling system supporting Terminal 2.
Emergency services also used the empty facilities for training exercises.
So, while you couldn’t book a flight departing from Terminal 1, your suitcase might still have travelled through its infrastructure.
One of Heathrow’s busiest terminals was being supported by a terminal that technically no longer existed for passengers.
2026: The Final Goodbye
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In April 2026, Heathrow announced that demolition work on Terminal 1 was officially underway, beginning with the dismantling of Pier 4.
Removing the terminal is a complicated operation because Heathrow must continue functioning around the construction site.
The redevelopment will free space for new infrastructure, including improvements to Terminal 2’s baggage-handling operations and aircraft stand capacity.
The process is gradual, particularly because some of Terminal 1’s infrastructure still supports the operational airport.
More than a decade after its final passenger flight, the building is finally disappearing from Heathrow’s landscape.
Why Not Just Rename Terminal 2 as Terminal 1?
This brings us back to the obvious question.
If Terminal 1 no longer exists, why doesn’t Heathrow simply renumber the remaining terminals?
Technically, it could.
But imagine the confusion.
Millions of passengers already recognise Heathrow’s existing terminal numbers. Airlines publish them on tickets, travel websites use them in booking information, and the airport’s road signs, railway stations and transport connections are organised around them.
Renaming Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 would serve little practical purpose.
And if Heathrow started renumbering, where would it stop?
Would Terminal 3 become Terminal 2? Terminal 4 become Terminal 3? And Terminal 5 become Terminal 4?
Keeping the existing names is simply more convenient, even if it leaves a rather strange gap in the sequence.
A Few Interesting Facts About Heathrow Terminal 1
- Terminal 1 began passenger operations in 1968.
- Queen Elizabeth II officially opened it in April 1969.
- It was once the largest airport terminal in Western Europe.
- Its first flight was BEA 5362 to Edinburgh.
- Its final flight was British Airways BA970 to Hanover.
- It closed to passengers on 29 June 2015.
- Parts of the building continued supporting Terminal 2’s baggage operations after closure.
- Demolition work began in 2026.
Airports Are Constantly Changing
As an aviation enthusiast, I find stories like this particularly interesting.
Airports often appear permanent. We recognise their terminal buildings, control towers and runways as fixed parts of the landscape.
But aviation infrastructure is constantly evolving.
Aircraft become larger, airlines merge, passenger expectations change, and terminals that were once considered revolutionary eventually become obsolete.
Heathrow’s Terminal 1 is a perfect example.
When it opened in 1968, it represented the future of aviation. By 2015, that future had become the past.
Today, Heathrow continues operating with Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5, while the number 1 remains absent.
Perhaps one day Heathrow will reuse the number for another building. For now, the missing Terminal 1 is a small reminder of the airport’s history.
Sometimes, even something as simple as a missing number has an interesting story behind it.
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