Heathrow airport promises five-minute queues by 2031
This was the vision of Heathrow, the UK's biggest airport, as plans were revealed to modernise and improve the passenger experience in the five years to 2031.
Among the pledges was a promise that 95 per cent of passengers will queue for less than five minutes at the central security area. The terminals will be redesigned to create 70,000 sq m of new passenger space, partly by reducing back-room functions.
New lounges in Terminals 3 and 5 will allow the introduction of shops and restaurants. Heathrow said it would be the first time since Terminal 2 opened in 2014 that passenger space would be expanded. The expansion will allow room for ten million more passengers — it handled 84.2 million in 2024.
The airport said that technology upgrades would result in 1.25 million fewer lost bags, meaning 99 per cent would travel at the correct time.
The plans, to be delivered between 2027-31, were announced by the airport as it begins negotiations with airlines and the Civil Aviation Authority, the regulator that decides how much Heathrow can charge passengers. According to the airport's latest investor report, the average charge was £26.57 per passenger in 2024. Under the plans this would rise to £33.26. Airlines collect the charges and pass them on.
Thomas Woldbye, Heathrow's chief executive, said: 'We're making good progress on our strategy to become an extraordinary airport — having become Europe's most punctual major airport so far this year. But our customers want us to improve our international rankings further, as do we.
'To compete with global hubs, we must invest. Our five-year plan boosts operational resilience, delivers the better service passengers expect and unlocks the growth capacity airlines want with stretching efficiency targets and a like-for-like lower airport charge than a decade ago.'
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The plans are designed to improve the image of the UK's only hub airport, which has suffered baggage system failures and faced criticism over outdated terminals. The airport has also promised 'a step-change in service with more choice for passengers requiring additional support'.
The latest CAA accessibility report, published last month, ranked Heathrow's special assistance service provision as 'needs improvement'. Edinburgh was the only other major airport in the same category.
Last year Sir Tim Clark, the president of Emirates, told The Times last June: 'It looks like a utilitarian structure, post-Second World War. It is just not good enough.
'I'm afraid it's very difficult. You need to open up the whole terminal. Where we are based [in Dubai], new airports are being built employing the latest technologies to streamline the process of all the customer-facing elements. That is not the case at Heathrow.'
Heathrow said the improvements would be funded by £10 billion of private investment.
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The airport has also been drawing up fresh proposals for a third runway after Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, confirmed the government's support for the project in January.
The old plans, presented in 2019, included a new terminal and would require the demolition of more than 700 houses in two villages, as well as rerouting the M25 motorway. Heathrow has until July 31 to submit proposals to the Department for Transport. These will be evaluated prior to work beginning on a formal planning application.
A spokesman for IAG, which owns British Airways, welcomed Heathrow's intention to improve passenger experience, but said the plan 'requires significant revision. The proposed 25 per cent increase in charges is excessive.'
A Virgin Atlantic spokesman said that 'only Heathrow with its monopoly power … would think that this £10 billion investment plan represents value for money and that's before any third runway expansion costs are factored into the equation.'
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