The bright, airy new terminal at Heathrow, with British Airways as sole airline occupant, is set to help transform the passenger experience at Heathrow.

It will offer passengers a simple and stress-free experience through online check-in and fast bag drop facilities, with the benefit of state-of-the-art security and baggage facilities. Willie Walsh, British Airways chief executive, said: “Terminal 5 is a fantastic facility and our customers will really enjoy the space, comfort and convenience it offers. We have exclusive use of the terminal and that will allow us to greatly improve the levels of service we can offer.

The customer experience at Terminal 5 will rival, if not exceed, that at any airport in the world.” “With the opening of Terminal 5, British Airways and BAA have an opportunity to make air travel, both into and out of the UK, once again a calmer and much more enjoyable experience. We intend to take full advantage of that opportunity and can't wait to open the doors to our customers.”

Some 60,000 people have worked a total of 100 million man hours to build Terminal 5, since construction work began in September 2002.

Cost £4.3bn

Construction Sept 2002 - Mar 2008 No. of Passengers annually 30 million Phase 1 – opening 2008 Terminal 5A and B 50 aircraft stands (total) Phase 2 – opening 2010.

Terminal 5C 60 aircraft stands (total) Terminal 5A dimensions 396m long x 176m wide x 40m high Levels above ground 4 Terminal 5B dimensions 442m long x 52m wide x 19.5m high Levels above ground 3

Multi-storey car park 3,800 spaces Sofitel London Heathrow Hotel 605 rooms (opens June) Rail links Heathrow Express London Underground Piccadilly Line.

Check-in self service kiosks 96 Check-in fast bag drops over 90 Check-in standard desks 54 Security zones 2 (north and south) Security lanes 20 Baggage reclaim belts 11 Length of bag conveyers 17 km No of bags processed per hour 12,000.

Number of lifts 192 Number of escalators 105 Number of seats 9,140 (excluding catering outlets) Number of toilet blocks 112 Number of toilets 800

Number of baby change facilities 32 Childrens’ play areas 3 (for toddlers to 7 year olds) Number of retail facilities 112 (includes 25 food & drink outlets. Overall percentage of retail space circa 5.5 %.