Heathrow plans to move Delta Air Lines from Terminal 3 to Terminal 4 in 2028, separating it from joint-venture partner Virgin Atlantic. Both airlines are challenging the decision, warning that splitting their shared Heathrow base would make connections less convenient.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the airline would pursue every available remedy and urged Heathrow to reconsider. He argued that the move would undermine investments in shared facilities and the partnership’s competition with other transatlantic airlines. Virgin Atlantic CEO Corneel Koster has also pledged to challenge the outcome.
Heathrow says the changes will use existing terminal capacity more efficiently, ease congestion and improve operational resilience. The airport says airlines representing 81% of its passengers support the review’s outcome. That is a share of passenger traffic, rather than a count of individual airlines.
The three-year review also covers terminal changes for Finnair, Japan Airlines, LATAM and China Southern over the next two years. We previously examined Heathrow’s capacity pressures and proposed third runway; the terminal reshuffle addresses how its existing facilities are used.
For current trips, Virgin Atlantic’s airport guide still places both airlines in Terminal 3. The planned move would add an inter-terminal transfer for passengers connecting between Delta and Virgin Atlantic. Travelers should check the operating airline’s terminal and connection requirements when arranging future journeys.
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