View source for Heathrow Terminal 4

{{Short description|Airport terminal at London Heathrow Airport}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox building
| name             = Heathrow Terminal 4
| image            = Heathrow LON 04 07 77.JPG
| caption          = Aerial view of terminal 4 during its use by British Airways
| map_type         = United Kingdom Greater London
| coordinates      = {{coord|51.459455|-0.446953|region:GB|display=inline}}
| building_type    = Airport terminal
| architect        = [[Scott Brownrigg|Scott Brownrigg & Turner]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Retrospective: Heathrow Airport Terminal 4|url=http://www.scottbrownrigg.com/pdf/ia-issue-2-publication.pdf|website=Scott Brownrigg Design Research Unit|access-date=1 November 2016|pages=4–9|date=November 2013|archive-date=18 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118050919/http://www.scottbrownrigg.com/pdf/ia-issue-2-publication.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| main_contractor = [[Taylor Woodrow Construction]]
| cost             = {{£|200 million|link=yes}}
| location         = 
| address          = Stratford Road, [[Hounslow]], [[London]]
| current_tenants  = [[SkyTeam]] alliance
| start_date       = 
| completion_date  = 
| inauguration_date = 1 April 1986
| renovation_date  = 2009-2017
| floor_area       = {{convert|105481|m2|sqft}}
| public_transit   = {{Unbulleted list 
   | {{rail-interchange|london|elizabeth}} [[Heathrow Terminal 4 railway station]]
   | {{rail-interchange|london|Piccadilly}} [[Heathrow Terminal 4 tube station]]
   }}
}}

'''Heathrow Terminal 4''' is an [[airport terminal]] at [[Heathrow Airport]], the main airport serving [[London]], England, situated to the south of the southern runway, next to the cargo terminal. It is connected to Heathrow Terminals [[Heathrow Terminal 2|2]] and [[Heathrow Terminal 3|3]] by the vehicular [[Heathrow Cargo Tunnel]], and by rail with the [[Heathrow Terminal 4 tube station|Heathrow Terminal 4 tube]] and [[Heathrow Terminal 4 railway station]]s. 

The [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince]] and [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Princess of Wales]] opened Terminal 4 on 1 April 1986.<ref name=":0">''Above Us The Skies: The Story Of BAA'' – 1991 (Michael Donne – BAA plc), p. 40</ref> [[British Airways]] was the main airline operating from the terminal from 1986 until its move to [[Heathrow Terminal 5|Terminal 5]] on 29 October 2009, eventually making Terminal 4 the Heathrow base for airlines of the [[SkyTeam]] airline alliance.

==History==
In 1979, approval for a fourth terminal at Heathrow Airport was granted.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Cobley |first=Jim |date=28 March 1986 |title=Royals "Fly the Tube" as Heathrow plugs in |work=LRT News |pages=4–5}}</ref> The new terminal was built south of the southern runway for £200 million over a {{Convert|197|acre|ha|abbr=off|adj=on}} site.<ref name=":1" /> The [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince]] and [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Princess of Wales]] opened Terminal 4 on 1 April 1986.<ref name=":0" />

===Construction===
The public enquiry was from May to December 1978. Outline planning permission was given in December 1979. Full planning permission was given in September 1981. The main contractor was [[Taylor Woodrow Construction]].<ref>''Times'' Friday May 25 1984, page 15</ref> Work on the foundations began in September 1981.

The architects were Ann Gibson, Ken Gilham, and John Church. Dunlop Transportation Systems made eight passenger conveyors, known as 'Starglide'. 15 escalators were made by [[Orenstein & Koppel|O & K Escalators]].

The terminal was to open in October 1985.<ref>''Times'' Friday May 25 1984, page 15</ref> The link to Hatton Cross was built by Taylor Woodrow and Thyssen UK. The Terminal 4 tube station built by [[Balfour Beatty]], and the ticket hall.<ref>''Times'' Friday May 25 1984, page 15</ref>

==Overview==
===Terminal design===
[[File:Heathrow Terminal 4, departures level - geograph.org.uk - 3398892.jpg|left|thumb|Passenger drop-off area, March 2013]]
[[File:Heathrow T4 Check-In August 2023.jpg|left|thumb|Check-in area in August 2023]]

Best known for its yellow jet bridges, the terminal was initially designed as a facility for short-haul 'point-to-point' traffic, to compensate for its relatively long distance from the airport's central terminal area (CTA). The layout of the terminal, with passenger boarding gates very close to the check-in and security halls, was designed to facilitate rapid movement of passengers through the building (a requirement for short-haul, business-focused flights). Upon opening, it boasted other innovations, including the complete segregation of arriving and departing passengers and a departure concourse over {{convert|1/3|mi|m|abbr=off|sigfig=1}} long.<ref>''Above Us The Skies: The Story Of BAA'' – 1991 (Michael Donne – BAA plc), p. 41</ref>

[[John King, Baron King of Wartnaby|Lord King]], then Chairman of [[British Airways]], demanded that Terminal 4 be solely for the use of British Airways to fulfill the airline's ambition of hosting all its flights in one terminal (an ambition that still has not been achieved even with the opening of Terminal 5 in 2008). A similar demand was made on the North Terminal at [[Gatwick Airport|Gatwick]].

Terminal 4's distance from the CTA and design were ill-suited for British Airways' long-haul operations. Passengers had to transfer between Terminal 4 and the CTA by bus rather than by a short moving walkway (as between Terminals 1 and 3, for example), and once inside Terminal 4, the gate areas were not large enough to accommodate the 300&ndash;400 passengers waiting to board the [[Boeing 747]]s. Passengers' baggage also had to make the trip by van, sometimes resulting in the luggage being mislaid. However, this problem was somewhat alleviated in the late 1990s by the construction of an automated transfer tunnel between the CTA and Terminal 4.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

===Improvements and renovations===
[[File:Heathrow T4 Concourse August 2023.jpg|left|thumb|Terminal 4 in August 2023, after major renovations]]

Following the transfer of most of British Airways' flights to Terminal 5 in 2008, Terminal 4 underwent a £200m upgrade to accommodate 45 airlines and serve as the base for the [[SkyTeam]] airline alliance. The departures forecourt has been upgraded to reduce traffic congestion and improve security, and an extended check-in area opened in late 2009. Most internal areas of the terminal were renovated between 2009 and 2014. A new SkyTeam Alliance passenger lounge for premium passengers opened in 2009, followed by the [[Etihad Airways]] Lounge. A [[Malaysia Airlines]] Golden Lounge, [[Gulf Air]] Golden Falcon Lounge, [[Qatar Airways]] Premium Lounge and Plaza Premium Lounge have all opened since 2010. Two new stands to accommodate the [[Airbus A380]] were constructed in 2009, and a further two opened in 2015. A new baggage system has also been installed. The refurbishment of the arrivals areas was completed in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heathrowairport.com/portal/page/Heathrow%5EGeneral%5EOur%20business%20and%20community%5EMedia%20centre%5ENews%20releases%5EResults/97dd2706f959d110VgnVCM10000036821c0a____/a22889d8759a0010VgnVCM200000357e120a____/|title=Terminal 4's £100m new check-in area reaches the top |publisher=BAA Plc |access-date=30 November 2008}}</ref>

=== Closure during the COVID-19 pandemic ===
In 2020, all flights from Terminal 4 were suspended due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 pandemic]]. Consequently, rail and tube services to Terminal 4 station were withdrawn; TfL Rail services were diverted to T5.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-06-20|title=Coronavirus - Covid-19 {{!}} Heathrow|url=https://www.heathrow.com/customer-support/faq/coronavirus-covid-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620190937/https://www.heathrow.com/customer-support/faq/coronavirus-covid-19|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-06-20|access-date=2020-08-08}}</ref> Heathrow also closed one of its runways in response to the drop in flights. In June 2021, Terminal 4 reopened as a terminal for passengers arriving from red-list countries only. The rail and underground stations remained closed at that time.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Heathrow to reopen Terminal 4 this month for 'red zone' arrivals|url=https://www.executivetraveller.com/news/london-heathrow-terminal-4-reopens-for-red-zone-arrivals|access-date=2021-08-14|website=Executive Traveller|language=en}}</ref>

On 23 February 2022, Heathrow CEO John Holland Kaye announced that Heathrow Terminal 4 was to reopen in time for the summer travel peak in July.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Prynn |first1=Jonathan |title=Heathrow T4 to reopen amid expected surge in holidaymakers over summer - Heathrow’s chief executive John Holland-Kaye said travel industry is starting to recover |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/heathrow-t4-reopen-passenger-surge-terminal-airport-numbers-travel-london-easter-holiday-b984146.html |website=standard.co.uk |publisher=The Standard |access-date=6 February 2025 |date=23 February 2022}}</ref> It was later announced that the Terminal would reopen on 14 June.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/31242-heathrow-to-reopen-terminal-4 | title=Heathrow to reopen Terminal 4 after two years of closure | date=8 June 2022 }}</ref>

==Usage==
[[File:Term4.jpg|thumb|right|Terminal 4 interior, before refurbishment in 2012]]
[[File:MeetMe Heathrow T4.jpg|thumb|right|Arrivals at Terminal 4, before refurbishment in 2012]]

===British Airways use (1986-2008)===
British Airways was a prominent user of this terminal until its move to Terminal 5 in 2008. However, despite the airline being based there, Terminal 4 was also used by [[Qantas]] until its move to Terminal 3.

===SkyTeam===
Terminal 4 is the base for [[SkyTeam]] members except [[Aeroméxico]], [[Virgin Atlantic]], and [[China Airlines]] (all Terminal 3 only) alongside [[Scandinavian Airlines]] and [[Middle East Airlines]] (both uses Terminal 2). [[Delta Air Lines]] was a mainstay at Terminal 4 until it later joined these carriers at Terminal 3 on September 14, 2016 for easier connectivity with Virgin Atlantic.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://atwonline.com/airlines/delta-consolidate-london-heathrow-operations| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160823181032/http://atwonline.com/airlines/delta-consolidate-london-heathrow-operations| archive-date = 2016-08-23| title = Delta to consolidate London Heathrow operations {{!}} Airlines content from ATWOnline}}</ref> 

===Others===
Four [[Oneworld]] members fly out of Terminal 4: [[Malaysia Airlines]], [[Royal Air Maroc]], [[Qatar Airways]], and [[Oman Air]]. [[Sri Lankan Airlines]] formerly operated from Terminal 4 but shortly after it joined Oneworld in 2014, it transferred its flights to Terminal 3.

The principal non-aligned airlines are [[KM Malta Airlines]], [[China Southern Airlines]], [[El Al]], [[Etihad Airways]], [[Gulf Air]], and [[Royal Brunei Airlines]]. Other non-aligned airlines are [[Air Algerie]], [[Air Astana]], [[Air Serbia]], [[Azerbaijan Airlines]], [[Biman Bangladesh Airlines]], [[Bulgaria Air]], [[Kuwait Airways]], [[Tunisair]], [[Uzbekistan Airlines]], [[Vueling]] and [[WestJet]].

==Ground transport==
[[File:Heathrow Terminal 4 tube roundel.JPG|thumb|right|[[Heathrow Terminal 4 tube station]]]]

===Road links===
Terminal 4 is accessed from Junction 14 of the [[M25 motorway]] via the A3113 and then the Southern Perimeter Road. It is also accessible from Central London via the [[M4 motorway|M4]], exiting at Junction 3. There is a short stay [[car park]] directly opposite the terminal and a long stay car park on the other side of the [[Heathrow Terminal 5#Twin Rivers Diversion Scheme|twin rivers]].

===Rail links===
Terminal 4 is served by the [[London Underground]]'s [[Piccadilly line]] trains at [[Heathrow Terminal 4 tube station]] and by [[Elizabeth line]] trains at [[Heathrow Terminal 4 railway station]]. All trains between the Heathrow terminals are free.

The Piccadilly line has up to six trains per hour (about every 10 minutes) in the direction of [[Cockfosters tube station|Cockfosters]] via central London. Trains to central London run via [[Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 tube station]]. They may wait at Heathrow Terminal 4 for up to eight minutes. Although the journey takes longer, fares are much cheaper than on the Elizabeth Line and Heathrow Express services.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/|title=Fares - Transport for London}}</ref>

===Bus links===
Some local buses, coach services, and car parking serve Terminal 4.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline|Heathrow Terminal 4}}
*[http://www.heathrow.com/ Heathrow Airport website]
*[https://www.heathrow.com/file_source/Heathrow/Static/PDF/Maps/Heathrow_T4_Map.pdf Heathrow Terminal 4 map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203224607/https://www.heathrow.com/file_source/Heathrow/Static/PDF/Maps/Heathrow_T4_Map.pdf |date=3 December 2017 }}

{{London Heathrow Airport}}
{{Coord|51|27|35|N|0|26|51|W|type:landmark_region:GB-HIL|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:London Heathrow Terminal 4}}
[[Category:Airport terminals]]
[[Category:Heathrow Airport|4]]
[[Category:Heathrow Airport Holdings]]
[[Category:Transport infrastructure completed in 1986]]
[[Category:1986 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures at Heathrow Airport|Terminal 4]]