London Heathrow is set to reopen Terminal 4 this summer after a two-year closure caused by the pandemic.

The airline plans to ramp up airport capacity in time for the summer holidays after detailing a £3.8 billion loss during the pandemic, experiencing the lowest passenger footfall at the airport in 2021 since 1972.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Terminals 3 & 4 were closed in 2020 after the airline decided to consolidate flights in Terminals 2 & 5. After initial doubts about whether Terminal 4 would reopen at all - due to the limited number of daily flights pre-pandemic - Heathrow are now deliberating which airlines will return to the Terminal once it reopens.

Qatar Airways is said to be the first carrier to move to Terminal 4, with others including Air Malta, Air Mauritius, Air Algerie, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways, Saudi Arabia Airlines, and more planned to follow in the coming months.

Heathrow’s CEO John Holland-Kayne said: “While we are still years away from passenger numbers returning to pre-pandemic levels, reopening Terminal 4 will give airlines at Heathrow extra space across the airport, helping them manage the impact additional travel documents continue to have on check-in times.”

He continued: “To help ensure a smooth journey we will ensure head office colleagues are in the terminals helping passengers.”