London Heathrow Airport's terminals explained: what's on offer and why there are only four

The west London hub is due to reopen Terminal 4 to cope with an expected busy summer season

Heathrow Airport in London, the UK's busiest, has been a travel hub for decades. Here The National takes a look back at Heathrow through the years. All photos: Getty Images

An Airco De Havilland biplane of the British airline, Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited, about to leave on the company’s inaugural flight from Hounslow Heath Aerodrome, later known as Heathrow, to Le Bourget, Paris, in August 1919

Waterlogged runways at London Airport - Heathrow's original name - one week before it became Britain's main aerial gateway to the US in 1946

The new BOAC maintenance headquarters at London Airport circa 1955

The air traffic control room at the airport's new terminal in 1955

US film star Marilyn Monroe with her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, after arriving at the airport in July 1956

An aerial view showing the runways in 1958

The arrivals and departures board in 1960

A new airport gift shop, selling items by Chanel, Wedgwood and Pringle of Scotland, in 1961

The Queen's Building and the No. 1 Building Europa at Heathrow in 1965

The Beatles leave Heathrow for Salzburg in Austria, to resume filming of the movie Help!, in 1965

Passenger terminal gates at Heathrow in 1966

Keith Granville, managing director of BOAC, holding up a model of the Boeing 747 jet, with the new aircraft hangars under construction in the background, at Heathrow in 1969

An aerial view of Heathrow in 1970

Passengers boarding the first BOAC Jumbo Jet 747 used for a commercial flight, from London Heathrow to New York, in 1971

Passengers going through the departure lounge at Heathrow in 1973

Concorde takes off from Heathrow on her first commercial flight for British Airways in 1976

Men at work finalising the Heathrow Central underground station before its opening in 1977

Queen Elizabeth II passing though the Tube gates at Heathrow Central station on its opening in 1977

An aerial view of Heathrow in 1978

Passengers waiting near a departures board in 1979

Holidaymakers waiting in the departure lounge at Terminal 3 of Heathrow in 1981

British Airways employees protesting at Heathrow in 1984

Passengers and staff observe a silence in Heathrow's Terminal One to mark the beginning of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997

Rower Steve Redgrave at Heathrow with daughters Sophie and Natalie and son Zak after returning from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games with his gold medal

Spectators watch the last Concorde land at Heathrow in 2003

Fans surround the coach carrying the England rugby team at Heathrow, as they arrived from Sydney after winning the World Cup in 2003

Heathrow's Terminal 2 in 2004

Passengers queue to check in at Terminal 1 of Heathrow Airport during the Christmas 2006 and New Year period

Passengers wait at Terminal 1 on August 10, 2006, after airport security was raised to critical when a terrorist plot to blow up planes in mid-flight from the UK to the US was disrupted by police

Planes queueing to take off at Heathrow in 2007

The new Terminal 5 at Heathrow in 2008

Aircraft at Heathrow Airport in front of the London skyline in 2016

Members of Team GB arrive from Rio de Janeiro at Heathrow, after returning from the 2016 Olympics, which saw Great Britain's strongest performance at the Games in over a century

A composite photo shows planes taking off from Heathrow in November 2016. Forty-two planes were captured between 10.17am and 11.17am and a montage was created from those single images

Items are arranged during an auction preview at Heathrow in 2018. The contents of Terminal 1, which closed in 2015, were being sold

An airline passenger wearing a face mask pushes her bags through Heathrow's Terminal 5 during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020

British Airways employees welcome Olympians returning from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021

Travellers wait in a long queue to pass through the security check in 2022

London’s Heathrow Airport is gearing up for a busy summer season, with Terminal 4 coming out of mothballs, in the hope of recovering from the massive blows it suffered due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The UK’s busiest airport suffered its worst financial year in 2021, with passenger numbers deep-diving to their lowest levels in nearly 50 years.

Despite its current passenger levels being 23 per cent behind forecast, Heathrow expects to meet its target of serving 45.5 million travellers by the end of 2022.

This week Heathrow’s boss unveiled plans to increase the capacity of the airport by reopening Terminal 4 by July to cater for the expected surge in travel. The UK dropped most of its travel restrictions in February, and many countries who have yet to do so are expected to take a more relaxed approach over the coming months.

Heathrow is hoping for a strong summer season to bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic. Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Heathrow customers’ experience as they prepare to board their flight varies drastically depending on which terminal they are flying from.

So what services are on offer at each terminal?

Terminal 1

Effectively, there is no Terminal 1. Passengers on London Underground's Piccadilly Line might notice stops for Terminals 2,3,4 and 5. That's because it closed in 2015 and is no longer in use. It wasn't even the first terminal at Heathrow. It was opened in 1968, and the previous buildings, known as Europa and Britannic combined to become Terminal 2, while Oceanic became Terminal 3.

Terminal 2

Airlines using this terminal, which was originally built in the mid-1950s include British Airways, Etihad, Egyptair, United Airlines, American Airlines, Lufthansa and Air Canada.

Travellers can pick up last-minute purchases from Harrods and a wide range of high-end fashion brands, such as Bulgari, Burberry, Kate Spade, Kurt Geiger, Saint Laurent, Ted Baker and Bottega Veneta.

The British chef Heston Blumenthal has a restaurant there, The Perfectionists’ Cafe, which invites guests to “dine in style”.

Travellers can also find food and beverages at Yo!, Pret A Manger, Leon and two British-themed pubs – London’s Pride and Big Smoke.

For a more upmarket experience, travellers could splash out at Caviar House & Prunier seafood bar.

Terminal 3

Domestic and international flights operate from the terminal, which serves major carriers including Emirates, Virgin Atlantic, Delta Airlines, Qantas and China Airlines and opened in 1961.

Here, travellers can get their hands on items from designer names such as Chanel, Fendi, Hermes, Gucci, Harrods, Kurt Geiger and Louis Vuitton.

Mac Cosmetics also has a store in the terminal and fine jewellery is on offer at Tiffany & Co, Watches of Switzerland and Cartier.

Jo Malone, a candle and fragrance shop popular with celebrities, also has a branch there.

For dining, travellers have the option of Pret A Manger, Wagamama or Caffe Nero, among others. For people willing to spend more, there are EL&N London, The Curator and Caviar House Oyster Bar, all of which are unique to Terminal 3 and not in any other part of the airport

Terminal 4

This terminal, which opened in 1986, has been closed to passengers throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

But in December last year, Heathrow temporarily opened Terminal 4 for arrivals from red-list nations, to separate them from travellers from lower-risk countries.

People arriving from red-list nations were required to spend 11 nights quarantining in a hotel upon landing.

The stricter travel rules were ushered in after the highly transmissible Omicron Covid variant was found in Britain.

The red list was scrapped in December and Terminal 4 was once again deserted.

Heathrow has said it plans to reopen the terminal by July to help the airport cope with the expected increase in passenger numbers over the summer.

Terminal 5

This terminal opened in 2008 and is usually reserved for two airlines, British Airways and Iberia. The majority of BA's flights go from this terminal.

This terminal offers a wide range of cafes and restaurants to cater for a variety of tastes. Many of the outlets are not found in the other terminals.

British chef and TV star Gordon Ramsay has his Plane Food restaurant there, while Starbucks, Itsu and Giraffe are also unique to T5.

Fortnum & Mason Bar offers signature “in-flight picnics”, while diners at Kanishka Kitchen are served Michelin Star-quality Indian cuisine.

The terminal also features the Pilots Bar & Kitchen, a vintage-inspire brasserie which serves classic British and international dishes.

Pre-flight shopping includes big names such as Dior, Gucci, Harrods, Hermes, Kurt Geiger, Louis Vuitton, Montblanc, Prada, Reiss, Rituals, Fortnum & Mason, Rolex and Watches of Switzerland.