Located 14 miles west of Central London on a site covering 4.74 square miles, London Heathrow Airport is the UK's primary and largest international airport. Owned and operated by Heathrow Airport Holdings, it serves as the primary hub for both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. In 2024, Heathrow achieved its busiest year on record, accommodating 83.9 million passengers across its extensive global flight network.
The airport operates with two parallel east-west runways and features four operational passenger terminals numbered 2 through 5, alongside one dedicated cargo terminal. Facilities are designed to support over 89 airlines connecting to 214 destinations worldwide. Heathrow also features chaplains across multiple faiths, dedicated prayer rooms in each terminal, and the underground St. George's Interdenominational Chapel located in the Central Terminal Area.
01 Terminals & concourses
Opened in 2014 on the site of the original Europa Building, Terminal 2 features 24 gates, a satellite pier (T2B), 52 shops, and 17 bars and restaurants. It primarily handles flights originating from northern or western Europe and serves Star Alliance members alongside select non-aligned carriers.
Airport map
The free OpenStreetMap layer below shows the whole airport — terminals, concourses, access roads and the parking garages. Zoom in for gate-level detail.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL, free). Official gate/terminal maps are copyrighted — we link to them.
02 Which terminal does my airline use?
Airlines are grouped by alliance and region. Always confirm the concourse printed on your boarding pass — assignments can change seasonally.
Show all airlines by terminal ›
Grouped by terminal — check the concourse on your boarding pass before you fly; assignments can change seasonally.
Lost, delayed or damaged baggage at LHR
If your checked bag doesn't turn up on the belt, act before you leave the baggage-claim area — that's where every airline keeps its Baggage Service Office.
- Go to your airline's Baggage Service Office in the baggage-claim hall of your arrival terminal.
- File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) and get your file reference (WorldTracer) number. Keep your bag-tag receipt and boarding pass.
- Track it online using that reference on your airline's baggage-tracking page — most bags are located within 24–48 hours.
- Claim your essentials. On delayed bags airlines reimburse reasonable interim purchases (toiletries, clothing) — keep receipts. International trips are covered by the Montreal Convention.
- If it's truly lost (generally after 21 days) or damaged, file the claim at the same office — damage must be reported before you leave the airport.
Left something in the terminal (not a checked bag)? That's handled by the airport Lost & Found. Items left at a TSA security checkpoint are held by the TSA, not the airline.
