The Queen to open Terminal 5

Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport will get its official opening today (March 14th), courtesy of Her Majesty the Queen.

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh will be greeted by hundreds of airport and construction workers before meeting Sir Nigel Rudd, chairman of airport operator BAA, at the departures concourse of Terminal 5.

The Queen has a historic association with Heathrow, after opening the airport's first passenger terminal, which is now Terminal 2, in 1955.

Sir Nigel will make a speech at the opening ceremony, in which he will describe Terminal 5 as "a triumph of ambition, commitment and collaboration".

Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways, which will be the sole user of the facility, 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 highlight of the opening ceremony will be a performance for the Queen and 800 invited guests by a 30-strong choir, led by award-winning composer Steve Sidwell.