London Heathrow consolidation: The airlines still flying here and from which terminal

As the world continues to deal with the outbreak of COVID-19 and travellers and airlines are wondering when the world will start to fly again, many airlines have stood down operations or dramatically reduced their flying schedule. Though airlines are continuing to operate repatriation flights as well as cargo operations, governments in some countries have banned or restricted international flights.

This has also had a major effect on airports, which have seen a dramatic fall in passengers numbers. Terminals are deserted and almost all shops and lounges have been closed. London Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, expects passenger traffic in April to drop by a staggering 90%.

In response to the drop in passengers numbers and aircraft movement, London Heathrow reduced its operation to a single runway operation (alternating on a weekly basis to give those living in proximity to the airport some respite) and is in the process of closing two of its four terminals.

Airlines usually operating out of Terminal 3 and Terminal 4 are being re-accommodated into the airport’s Terminals 2 and 5. Terminal 3 has already been closed and airline moves out of Terminal 4 will be completed by early May.

For those still travelling, which the UK government advises should only be for essential travel, it’s important to know which Heathrow terminal your airline will operate from. This is an evolving picture, and the latest information can be found on the Heathrow website.

As of 28 April, the following airlines are operating from LHR Terminal 5:

All British Airways flights (including all flights previously operating from Terminal 3)

Iberia and Iberia Express

Loganair

All flights that previously operated from Terminal 5

Meanwhile, a number of airlines that typically fly to Heathrow have suspended operations to the airport altogether. In light of government restrictions, network suspensions or cost-cutting measures, the following airlines have temporarily stopped operating to/from LHR: Aegean Airlines, Aeroflot, Aeromexico, Air Algeria, Air Astana, Air Malta, Air Mauritius, Air Serbia, Air New Zealand, Asiana Airlines, Arik Air, Austrian, Avianca, Azerbaijan Airlines, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Delta Air Lines, El Al, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Hainan Airlines, Kenya Airways, LATAM Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, MEA, Oman Air, Pakistan International Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Brunei Airlines, Royal Jordanian, SAS, Saudia, Shenzhen Airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines, South African Airways, Tarom, Thai Airways, Tianjin Airlines, Tunisair, Turkish Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways, Vietnam Airlines and Vueling.

When checking the Which Terminal tab on Heathrow’s website, it’s worth noting that only airlines that are still operating appear to have moved terminals on Heathrow’s website.

Passengers on codeshare flights should be extra careful when checking which terminal the operating carrier flies from. Korean Air is showing as operating a flight to Amsterdam from Terminal 4, which is a flight operated by fellow SkyTeam member KLM. Though both are currently operating out of Terminal 4, they may not move to Terminal 2 at the same time, hence the importance for passengers to check the operating airline and which terminal that carrier uses.

A Heathrow Airport spokesperson told TPG that moving operations is a complex undertaking and the airport cannot confirm moves until the day before they are due to take place. Passengers travelling on airlines that are still showing as operating out of Terminal 4 will, therefore, need to check carefully the day before their departure to see if a move has taken place.

According to Weston Macklem, deputy head of news at Heathrow, all moves are “temporary and we are maintaining the capability to scale back up as quickly as possible once the recovery phase becomes clearer”.

However, it remains impossible to predict when that might be.