The making of Terminal 5
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Heathrow is the UK’s only hub airport and an important economic asset. But today Heathrow is full and vulnerable to foreign competition.
The making of Terminal 5
September: Construction begins on Heathrow Terminal 5 after 13 years of planning and a four-year public inquiry. The first job is to start moving earth so the foundations can be built.
2003
April: An archaeological dig at the site begins to wind down. More than 80,000 artefacts have been found.
July: A full-size section of the Terminal 5 roof is erected in Yorkshire for testing. As a result, more than 140 issues are resolved, averting a potential four-month delay.
August: A full-scale section of the baggage system is built and tested.
November: Work begins on the steel superstructure of the main terminal building.
March: Tunnelling for the westbound London Underground Piccadilly Line extension is finished ten days early.
May: The twin rivers, which ran through the middle of the Terminal 5 site, are successfully diverted. The scheme receives accolades from the Environment Agency and Royal Parks Agency.
July: The Terminal 5 project achieves one million man-hours without a reportable accident for the first time. It goes on to do this another nine times.
January: Nine separate tunnels for road, rail, London Underground and drainage are completed.
February: The Terminal 5 project reaches the half-way mark. It has taken 22 million man-hours to get to this stage.
March: The sixth and final section of the main terminal roof is lifted into position, creating a new 21st century skyline for Heathrow.
April: The new air traffic control tower's main structure is completed.
September: Transport Secretary Alistair Darling performs the Terminal 5 topping-out ceremony in front of workers and invited guests.
December: Terminal 5 is made weathertight with the completion of more than 30,000 sq metres of glass façade, 11 weeks early.
May: The new Airbus A380 superjumbo spends the night at Terminal 5 on its first visit to the northern hemisphere for testing at Heathrow.
July: The Duke of Edinburgh makes a personal tour of Terminal 5.
September: An unexploded World War II bomb is discovered and safely disposed of. Six vehicles for the terminal's automated transit system arrive from the USA and are lowered into their tunnels.
November: The entire construction site, with 7,000 workers, achieves two million man-hours without a reportable accident for the second time. Satellite Terminal 5B is virtually complete.
February: The Colne Valley landscaping project begins. It will include cycle paths and bridleways for local communities.
March: One million man-hours without a reportable accident is achieved for the eighth time.
April: The new air traffic control tower becomes fully operational.
May: Forty semi-mature London plane trees are planted on the Interchange Plaza. The big clean-up of all the steelwork and glass façades begins.
July: The first London Underground train arrives at Terminal 5, ahead of trial operations.
September: With six months to go until opening day, 15,000 volunteers have been recruited to help test Terminal 5.
March: The Queen officially opens Terminal 5 on March 14, following months of trials involving thousands of members of the public. The terminal opens for business with the landing of British Airways flight BA026 from Hong Kong at 4:50am on 27 March 2008.
Watch a time-lapse video of Terminal 5 being built
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