ABANDONED departure lounges, retro seats and darkened corridors are captured in eerie photos of Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 1.
Dated luggage carousels and nostalgic signage also feature in the blast-from-the-past snaps inside the mothballed building.
Terminal 1 was opened by The Queen in 1969North Downs Picture Agency
Darkened halls containing luggage carousels were captured in eerie pictures in 2017North Downs Picture Agency
Terminal 1 saw its last flight leave the tarmac in 2015North Downs Picture Agency
As plane technology saw aircraft soar in size, the airport struggled to adaptNorth Downs Picture Agency
Opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1969 to a global fanfare, T1’s first flight saw British European Airways – BAs foreunner – send a 100-seater Vanguard service to Edinburgh.
The terminus went on to usher in a golden age of jet travel.
Seen as the gateway to the UK for millions of holidaymakers, celebs and politicians, T1 became the envy of the world.
Showcasing huge advances in airport engineering and boasting vast passenger capacity, it was a front runner in global aviation.
But as aircraft soared in size, the airport struggled to adapt.
In 2005, in a bid to keep up with the pace of international travel, Heathrow installed a bigger departure lounge, additional retail space and seating.
But it proved unable to cope and after just 46 years, Terminal 1 was shut in 2015 as part of Heathrow’s expansion plans.
By the time the last flight to Hanover took off on June 29, 2015, T1 was only handling twenty daily flights to nine destinations through BA.
In the years that followed the closure, Heathrow management decided it would be slowly demolished over a five to ten-year period.
In 2017, the terminal’s contents – included vintage WH Smith signage, retro chairs and even slot machines – were rounded up and sold at auction.
It left the building devoid of any life.
At the time, The Sun spoke to Steven Mearns, Heathrow’s Head of Engineering for T1.
He said what was left of the once thronging nerve centre of world travel made for an “eerie” experience.
Steve said: “T1 is iconic but Heathrow has grown and the airport needs to expand.
“It has a unique place in passenger aviation and it is a bit eerie to walk around it now when there is no-one around.
He told how the halls, once full of passengers and staff, now sit empty with”barely a sound”.
“We don’t even have air conditioning,” he added.
Since then, the terminal has been used by armed cops to carry out live drills for terror attacks.
Today, the main building still stands but it’s contact piers and other structures have been demolished.
Steven Mearns, Heathrow’s Head of Engineering for T1, told The Sun the terminal was an ‘eerie’ placeNorth Downs Picture Agency
Bag drop desks lie empty and the halls silent in these creepy pictures from inside Terminal 1North Downs Picture Agency
The once thronging nerve centre of world travel is now emptyNorth Downs Picture Agency
Old toilets and sinks were rounded up and flogged at auction when T1 closed in 2015North Downs Picture Agency
Slot machines were among items sold when the terminus shut its doorsNorth Downs Picture Agency
Old car rental kiosks lie empty in the abandoned Terminal 1North Downs Picture Agency
Check in desks were abandoned and signage flogged at auctionNorth Downs Picture Agency
The terminal was opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1969North Downs Picture Agency
The empty departure lounge of Terminal 1 is a haunting placeNorth Downs Picture Agency
Old border gates sat silent when the airport closedNorth Downs Picture Agency Read More