T5 welcomes first passengers

Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport has welcomed its first passengers today (March 27th), with a British Airways flight from Hong Kong bringing 283 travellers into the state-of-the-art facility at 04:50 in the morning.

Around 150 people were on board when the first service to depart from Terminal 5 headed for Paris Charles de Gaulle at 06:20.

On its first day of operations, the new £4.3 billion terminal is set to host 380 British Airways flights – 30 long-haul services and 350 short-haul and domestic connections – and handle more than 40,000 customers.

Passengers in the terminal will be given free luggage tags, keyrings, commemorative certificates and other gifts, while themed chocolates will be handed out onboard flights.

Willie Walsh, chief executive of British Airways, described it as a "historic day" for the airline and for UK aviation.

He added: "The new terminal gives British Airways a great opportunity to offer the highest levels of service and put Heathrow back on the global travel map.

"I know that our customers will love the space, comfort and convenience that Terminal 5 offers and I believe that people can look forward to a much calmer and more enjoyable way of travelling in the months ahead."