Terminal 1 opened in 1969. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the terminal, which quickly became one of Europe's largest airport terminals.
Over the years, airlines including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and TAM Airlines operated from Terminal 1. For many travellers, it was a familiar part of the Heathrow experience.
The terminal closed in 2015. Its final flight departed for Hanover, Germany, on 29 June 2015. After that, the terminal stopped serving passengers.
When Terminal 1 closed, its airlines and staff moved into Terminal 2, helping support the expansion of the Queen's Terminal.
Although passengers can no longer use Terminal 1, the building is still active.
The airport continues to maintain the building to a high standard. It must remain safe and ready for emergency use.
Most of the terminal is not used daily. However, it still plays an important behind-the-scenes role.
Emergency services often use the building for training exercises. Teams from the London Fire Brigade, Ambulance Service and Metropolitan Police regularly practise different scenarios there. At times, hundreds of people may take part in these training sessions.
Terminal 1 is also home to the baggage system that supports Terminal 2.
All bags checked in at Terminal 2 pass through systems located in the Terminal 1 building. Heathrow's baggage teams continue to use Terminal 1 as their main base.
Some bags need extra checks before they can continue their journey. These bags are stored in a secure area inside Terminal 1 until they are cleared. Once approved, they are returned to the system and sent on to passengers.
Terminal 1 has not welcomed passengers for almost a decade, but it still supports several important airport operations.
In the future, Heathrow may remove the building to create more space for Terminal 2. For now, however, Terminal 1 remains an important part of the airport and continues to support its day-to-day operations.
