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Twenty years of planning and protest came to an end today with the Queen officially opening Heathrow’s Terminal 5.

British Airways passengers will be welcomed into the £4.3 billion terminal, the largest free-standing building in the UK, from March 27.

The Queen congratulated all of those who worked on what she called a “21st Century gateway to Britain”. Her visit came more than 50 years after she opened the airport’s first passenger terminal in 1955.

“My warmest congratulations go to everyone who has worked on this highly impressive building, it embodies many achievements of which you can be rightly proud,” she said. “So today it gives me great pleasure to open Terminal 5.”

BA is moving 92 per cent of its 550 daily flights to Terminal 5, a gleaming, glass-encased structure built on a former sewage works between the runways, which will cater for 30 million passengers a year.

The airline claims that the average passenger will take only ten minutes to get from the terminal entrance to the departure lounge beyond the security checkpoint.

Check-in should be much faster than at other terminals because there will 96 self-service kiosks and a similar number of fast bag-drop points, in addition to 54 staffed check-in desks. There will be 660 security staff manning 20 security screening points, each equipped with the latest rapid scanning machines.

Sir Nigel Rudd, chairman of airport operator BAA said: “Terminal Five marks the start of a new beginning for Heathrow, for BAA and for our millions of passengers.

“It is by any standard a triumph of ambition, commitment and collaboration. It will breathe new life into Heathrow, allowing us to continue our transformation of the rest of the airport and will put Heathrow and BAA back where they belong - at the leading edge of global travel.”

BAA shareholders funded the full cost of building the terminal which was completed on budget and on time despite weathering a record-breaking four-year planning inquiry between 1995 and1999.

The Government eventually gave the scheme the go-ahead in 2001, with work starting in 2002. All the other terminals are due to be rebuilt or upgraded over the next five years and Ruth Kelly, Transport Secretary, will consider proposals for a third runway and sixth terminal.

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