London Heathrow Terminal 5 Case Study

London Heathrow Airport Project

Introduction

The London Heathrow Terminal 5 (T5) project was one of the most complex projects ever undertaken in the United Kingdom and was the biggest construction site in Europe. The total investment in the T5 project was £4.3 billion and took approximately 37 million person-hours to complete. Elements of the Terminal 5 project include the main terminal, two satellite terminals, air-traffic control tower, and connections to public transport, road works, rails, and tunnels. Once completed and delivered to the British Airport Authority (BAA), T5 will serve as the base for British Airways (BA) and finally fulfill its ultimate goal of enhancing the competitive advantages of London and the United Kingdom. This case study will introduce how this complex project was delivered.

Project Planning Phase

The construction of T5 was approved by the Secretary of State on November 20, 2001, after the longest public inquiry in British history (46 months).

Cost

The planning process itself cost nearly £63 million over a period of 14 years. This cost was borne mostly by the BAA and BA, the two main components of the project.

Project Execution

The construction phase included two subphases: (1) the construction of infrastructure and buildings and (2) the integration of systems and retail

The T5 team has learned from the early accidents occurring during the construction of the Heathrow Express project and, as a result, has changed its approach toward project risk management. Further, the T5 team has employed management methods that are rarely applied in the construction industry, such as just-in-time manufacturing, to enhance the productivity of construction sites. All of this experience and knowledge helped the T5 project meet the criteria of time, quality, cost, and