Comment: Terminal 5: a remarkable feat

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

The Queen's opening of the new Terminal 5 building at Heathrow today marks the completion - on time and on budget - of an extraordinary project. It is the biggest freestanding building in Britain - as large as Hyde Park - and, with its glass walls and roof, is a remarkable feat of architecture and engineering. It should, moreover, transform our experience of flying based on Heathrow's other overcrowded and dingy terminals. Certainly, as a point of arrival in Britain, it will give overseas visitors a very different first experience of London than they have had hitherto at the airport. Of course there are critics of the project, including residents who fear it will mean an unwelcome expansion in the number of flights, and environmental activists who worry about a boost to aviation. But most of the 30 million people who will use it every year will be glad of its light and space and greater efficiency.

However, there are already concerns about security. It turns out that yesterday, at the very time that officials were testing the airport security ahead of the opening today, a man was able to scale the perimeter fence and run to the northern runway into the path of an aircraft. It seems he was not a terrorist, but what if he had been? It is difficult to strike the right balance between ensuring that access to the terminal is not restricted and providing proper levels of protection for the public, but this episode was a timely warning of what could go wrong.

For most passengers, however, their chief concern is that their journey should be made easier than it has been at Heathrow hitherto. The nightmare of unending queues at security scanners should be greatly diminished at the new terminal - BA has promised that passengers will, on average, take only 10 minutes to get from the terminal entrance to the departure lounge beyond the security gates. Further, the introduction of the largest baggage handling system in Europe at Terminal 5 should mean there is a far better prospect that passengers will be reunited with their luggage when they arrive at their destination. The new terminal is full of promise - time will tell whether it will fulfil passengers' expectations.