London Heathrow airport reopens Terminal 4 after two-year closure

London Heathrow Airport has reopened Terminal 4 on Tuesday for the first time in two years.

It has been shut to passengers since May 2020, due to travel restrictions being put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The move led to airlines such as Air France, Etihad and KLM moving to Terminal 2.

Now with passenger numbers rising and travel rules relaxing, the reopening of T4 will create more space and capacity to deal with the ‘summer peak’ across all four terminals.

Qatar Airways will be the first to move, followed by around 30 airlines over the following month

Airlines returning to Terminal 4 include: Air Algerie, Air Astana, Air Malta, Air Mauritius, Air Serbia, Azerbaijan Airlines, Bulgarian Air, El Al – Israeli Airlines, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, ITA Airlines, Kenya Airways, Korean Air, Kuwait Airways, Malaysian Airlines, Omanair, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Brunei, Saudi Arabia Airlines, TAROM, Tunis Air, Uzbekistan Airways, Vietnam Airlines.

Local buses, Piccadilly Line underground services and the Elizabeth line will now operate into Terminal 4.

Heathrow says it has been working behind the scenes throughout the last two years to modernise the terminal, including a refurbishment of toilets, air conditioning and hold baggage screening machines.

The airport is also recruiting 1000 new security officers and other staff to help meet the summer demand.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “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.

“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.”

Some 5.3 million people travelled through the west London airport in May.