Heathrow renamed its Terminal 2 after the Queen today as Her Majesty celebrated her official birthday.
It will be open next year, nearly sixty years after the original hub was opened by the monarch.
Called Terminal 2: The Queen’s Terminal, the £2.5 billion project will be similar to the new Terminal 5 building.
It is one of the largest private construction projects in the UK, supporting an estimated 35,000 jobs.
John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow’s Development Director, said: “The Queen opened the original Terminal 2 more than half a century ago and we’re delighted that Her Majesty has kindly agreed to give her name to the new Terminal 2.
“Everyone at Heathrow is extremely proud of our long association with The Queen and we know the new Terminal 2 will be a fitting continuation of that tradition.”
The terminal is the next major step in the transformation of Heathrow, and follows the refurbishment of Terminals 1, 3 and 4.
A total of £11 billion has been spent on the airport in the past over the last decade as it fights to remain one of the world’s leading airports. The terminal is on schedule to be completed in November 2013 and there will be six months of testing before it opens on June 4 next year.
An estimated 55,000 passengers will arrive and depart from the Terminal daily when it opens.
