Heathrow demolition begins £1 billion redevelopment
Heathrow Airport's original terminal building is being demolished, at the start of a £1 billion redevelopment scheme.
The Terminal 2 building – originally known as the Europa Building – was the airport's primary terminal when it opened in 1955.
The 49,654 square metre building was closed to the public in 2009 and is to be replaced with a new building that will raise the annual passenger capacity from 8 million to 20 million.
Chief executive of Heathrow's operator, BAA, Colin Matthews, said the terminal will open to the public in 2013.
"Heathrow is changing for the better, and there is much still to do," he said.
"Our brand new Terminal 2 will offer a better service to airlines and millions of passengers."
Terminal 2 originally cost £21m to build, under the design of architect Frederick Gibberd, the man behind the old control tower, London's Central Mosque and Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral.
It was the terminal of origin for the first non-stop commercial flight from the UK to California in 1957 and served as a port for long-haul flights.
Following the construction of the new terminal work will continue to extend it into the current Terminal 1 site by 2019, to provide a joint annual capacity of 30 million passengers.
