Heathrow's Terminal 4 will reopen on June 14, bosses have confirmed, in a move aimed at reducing the pressure on the airport following an increase in demand for travel.
Earlier this year the airport said it aimed to bring the terminal back into operation by July to help the other three terminals cope with the summer travel rush.
On Monday the airport confirmed T4 would reopen next week, with Qatar Airways set to immediately resume flights to and from the terminal.
A string of other carriers including Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways, Omanair, Royal Air Maroc, Saudi Arabia Airlines, Tunis Air and El Al Israeli Airlines will make a comeback to T4 in July.
T4 has been closed to passengers since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020. It was briefly brought back into operation in late 2021 to cater for arrivals from countries placed on the travel red list.
When the requirement for arrivals from red-listed nations to quarantine in a hotel for 11 days was abandoned in December, T4 was once again left deserted.
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said reopening the doors of the terminal would give the UK’s busiest airport “extra space” as the industry grappled with additional travel requirements. The UK has abandoned all travel restrictions, but many destinations still require Covid-19 certificates showing proof of vaccines or a negative test.
“I want to thank our colleagues and Team Heathrow partners who are working tirelessly to make sure that millions of people can enjoy the benefits of travel once again,” said Mr Holland-Kaye.
“While we are still years away from passenger numbers returning to pre-pandemic levels, reopening Terminal 4 will give airlines at Heathrow extra space across the airport, helping them manage the impact additional travel documents continue to have on check-in times.
“To help ensure a smooth journey, we will ensure head office colleagues are in the terminals helping passengers. Passengers can also help us to help them by getting set for travel before they arrive at the airport, by checking their terminal in advance, completing all travel paperwork at home and getting hand luggage ready for security checks.”
During its closure, T4 has undergone refurbishments including new toilets, air conditioning and screening machines for passengers to enable passengers to place baggage in the hold without the need to speak to staff.
From its reopening date, Transport for London will resume bus and underground services to and from the terminal. TfL Rail will also operate an inter-terminal transfer service connected T4 with Heathrow’s other terminals.
Many of the food outlets in T4 will reopen from next week, with more businesses expected to make a return over the coming months.
Heathrow is recruiting 1,000 security officers and other staff in anticipation of a busy summer period.
Last week’s half-term school holiday coinciding with the Bank Holiday weekend for the queen’s platinum jubilee sparked a rush for overseas trips and resulted in huge queues at many UK airports. Heathrow said that while passengers faced “longer queues than usual at check-in, immigration and baggage reclaim” during peak times, the majority of operations had “run smoothly”.
There were further setbacks on Sunday and Monday for travellers who had been due to return to Britain, with “tens of thousands stranded” overseas due to flight cancellations.
