heathrow terminal 5

What Agent K says is spot on.

On ‘landside’ when you enter Departures from the car drop off point, turn left towards the coffee bar you get some reasonable shots. But the best is on ‘Airside’ where you get some really good views of some of the ‘stands’.

Does anyone have experience of using Terminal 5 at Heathrow? What is it like from the point of view of an enthusiast who likes to take photos from the departure area? All the official website goes on about are the usual transport links and boring things like shopping. I would rather spot than shop.

Landslide is not so brilliant, airside there’s some pretty decent views of the aircraft on stand. I use it weekly.

I have been inside a few times lately delivering signage, the place looks very ready now, and, i would think putting in signs would be almost the last thing to happen (Given the fragile nature of the signs,and not wanting them getting wrecked by flying hilti nails!!) the company doing the signs have been given till May (i think) to complete btw.

Whats the status of construction then? Is most of the interior fitted out ready? check in desks, etc.

Yes, the pics on the BAA website are pretty old, here’s some from airliners.net

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1148784/M/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1131587/M/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1087474/M/

If it’s 11 months early does this mean the opening date has been moved from (I think) March 2008?

I have been inside a few times lately delivering signage, the place looks very ready now, and, i would think putting in signs would be almost the last thing to happen (Given the fragile nature of the signs,and not wanting them getting wrecked by flying hilti nails!!) the company doing the signs have been given till May (i think) to complete btw.

Heathrow Airport Website

Has some photos, however not sure how recent these are. When I went on a tour of the site in 2004 they were very concerned that no photos were taken, so not sure what the chances of finding any elsewhere are.

EDIT: Taken a look at some of those and they seem pretty old!

RE: heathrow terminal 5

I have to agree with the majority above, we need Terminal 5.

I’m an Air Traffic Controller at Heathrow and we desperately need the extra stands it would bring. Last summer, nearly one in three landing aircraft had to hold on the taxiway after taxying in because their allocated gate was still occupied by an aircraft still boarding pax.

This creates problems because LHR is so cramped, we run out of taxiways very quickly when three or four aircraft are holding for stands. Things are getting worse (later this year we lose the ‘H cul-de-sac, which means a loss of 7 stands are unuseable)’. Last year saw the introduction of the 777 series 300 flown in once a day by Emirates, there are only four or five gates in Terminal 3 that are able to take such a long aircraft, and the situation will not improve when the A340 500/600 starts operating! There are many areas through which any 747, 777, A330, A340 cannot taxi because they’d take a chunk of Terminal with their wingtip.

When one considers the dimensions of the A380, well, we’d need a whole new airfield.

Believe me, the runways already operate at capacity.

Ad.

RE: heathrow terminal 5

Rabie I wish you well in trying to get expansion at manston.
It maybe surrounded by an area of high unemployment but the
N I M B Y S wont worry about that. Being a veteran of the terminal five campaign I can assure people that the objectors will not care less about employment prospects or anything else. They will only be interested in what they want which is a nice idealic world for them. It does not matter if other people pay a high price for them to enjoy their idealic world.

Yes the South East needs extra runway capacity and manston sounds a good option with its ready made runway. I hope it does expand because if we are all to enjoy unlimited air travel then we have to increase capacity urgently.

I and my collegues are still fighting for terminal five. It has been a long haul but it has to be done if the U K is to retain its place as a global player.

If anyone wants to see us we will have a stand at the
Heathrow Enthuiasts Fair at Feltham Community School on Saturday
19th May 2001.

Ted

RE: heathrow terminal 5

i only look on this forum when i’m bored but the mention of local (to me) manston got me going. its a ready made aorport (well – the runway). it can take concord (i saw it land and take off – i was only like 50 meters from it past a crapy fence – brill) and was an old v-bomber dispersal base. the area is of high unemployment (the most in kent) and they need jobs, a new dual carrigway had been built to the airport, and it next to the see so slightly less noise if the approach / takoff goes over the sea.
rabie :9

RE: heathrow terminal 5

I wish to reply to ant who seems to have the facts wrong on terminal five. B A A has never said there will not be an increase in flights with terminal Five. They have stated at the Terminal Five inquiry that there will be an 8% increase in flights if Terminal Five is built. What the main problem at Hetahrow is not so much runway capacity as terminal capacity.
I am sure Ant will agree the exisitng four terminals are grossly overloaded. We need terminal Five to provide stands and facilities large enouth to cope with Airbus A380. It is also needed to make the best use of the existing runway capacity

Talking about a london Airport in Yorkshire is absurd. To get Manston off the ground will require a lot of effort defeating the N I M B Y brigade who will fight tooth and nail against the expansion of manston.

I take ant must lives possibly in datchet. Maybe he or she needs to think why the house prices are so high. They are kept high because of the wealth and prosperity heathrow brings to the area.
I live in Windsor so live on the same flight path only a little further out. I know only too well that if heathrow went down the tubes the Thames Valley region would also go down the tubes.
Maybe one day Heathrow will command the respect it richly deserves from some of the local population. Maybe Ant and some others need to find out which sides the bread is buttered on.
If Terminal Five is Terminated then more pressure will come on to use the night time hours to increase capacity. We cannot go on squeezing a quart into a pint pot.

RE: heathrow terminal 5

I hate to be the spanner in the works,but I say NO to T5.I live about 3-4 miles from Heathrow,right in between the approaches for 27L and 27R.Alot of people here feel the same.Apart from the fact that we will get more noise and environmental pollution,it has been BAA’s responses to us that have been a problem.Basically
they have been saying that there WONT be air traffic increases if T5 goes ahead,which is utter rubbish.We already have the odd aircraft coming into land at ridiculous times of night,and we are by no means the closest to the Airport.It is the fact that they are trying to sell this lie to people that really annoys me.
I also think there is a very good argument for creating a new London airport,and that idea about Finningly should perhaps be considered in favour to T5.I’ve recently heard that Manston will now become a full blown international airport too.
I agree that we need to increase our ability to take increased volumes of air traffic,but is T5 really the best solution??

RE: heathrow terminal 5

Heathrow does need T5 but the big issue up in the forgotten lands of South Yorkshire is WHAT ABOUT FINNINGLEY. Now the labour big wigs are playing it safe at election time and having a public enquiry about turning the ex RAF base into a internatoional airport how many years are we going to have to wait.

RE: heathrow terminal 5

Hi there,
I totally agree, a New! London Airport would be the best option, but how far does Tony Blair’s wallet streatch(Not bloody far) tight git. Anyway, I think the best site, would be London Ashford, like it was in Airliner World. I think Gatwick, and Heathrow should be blown up. Mind you, what about Manchester, there should be small airports in london, and all traffic divert to Manchester or something. What do you think? Get Airport Inc, and design your own New! London – xxxxxxxxxxx
Matthew Murray
AirtoursVA@yahoo.co.uk

RE: heathrow terminal 5

I am glad to see we have a topic on Terminal Five. I am a member
of T5 supporters who have campaigned since the public inquiry started in May 95 to get terminal five built as soon as possible.
The Public Inquiry finished in March 1999. The inspector of the inquiry then went away to write his report which was passed the Government in Dec 2000. The government are now sitting on the Inspectors report until at least till after the next general election. There have been leaks to say it will go ahead much to the disgust of the opponents of the project. So we go on waiting for a firm decision.

The opponents want the T5 project terminated but they have never offered any solution to ever growing demand for air travel. Their only solution is to tax air travel out of existance and make it only for the rich. I wonder how us who like a trip to teh Sun would take to finding that our package tour is no longer available or at a high price.

If T 5 is terminated then something will have to give and it will not be the first class passenger. It is forecast that by
2015 twice as many passengers will want to use south east Airports. There is no way the existing capacity can cope with that level of demand. So if thing sget tight as regards capacity the first people to be tipped out will be the economy passenger along with the package tour passengers.

I agree that we need a new airport but how do we get past the
N I M BY brigade. Who is going to finance a brand new airport which will have to financed from the private sector. I do not see the people like richard Branson falling over themselves to put up the money to build a new airport. Would a group of financial backers want to finance another long drawn out inquiry.
B A A the owners of Heathrow and british Airways the largest user have sunk probably 100 million to get this far. That is dead money down the drain. You the British taxpayer paid for the public inquiry to sit for nearly four years. Possibly a number of new Hospitals could have been built on the cost of that inquiry. What has the inquiry achieved and in my opinion very little. The opponents still do not want to face facts.
They want Heathrow downsized and moved to a new airport in the Thames Estuary. Even if you could find a site in the Estuary where do you put the rest of the support services plus housing for the workers. Heathrow employs approx 80,000 people both directly and indirectly.

The bottom line is whether we want to be part of the global economy or not. Around heathrow are a number of International firms who are there because it suits their purpose. Heathrow provides good communications to otheer parts of the world. Now the question has to be asked if it no longer offer these firms good communications will these firms up and go elswhere leaving acute unemployment in their wake. The world does not owe us a living and we have to fight for our share of this global market.
If anybody wants to come and help us get Terminal five built as soon as possible then send me an e-mail. What do we do. We write letters to local newspapers. write to local Cllrs and M Ps to put the positive side of the arguement for terminal five across.
We also take our stand to local airshows and shopping malls.

Ted Shepherd

RE: heathrow terminal 5

Heathrow does need a new terminal.In the future aircraft like the A380 will be using Heathrow and so bigger gates will be needed and bigger Taxi ways and a much bigger terminal for all the passengers.On the subject of a totaly new international in London maybe Manston,although it is along way out of London.