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This month not only marks the 50th anniversary of Heathrow airport’s air traffic control tower (opened on the 1 April 1955), but it also coincides with the official ‘topping out’ceremony for Heathrow’s new state-of-the-art,£50m control tower which has reached its full height.
Built by BAA,the new 87 metre high structure will feature the latest technology and will give controllers one of the best views of any control tower in the world.
Martyn Jeffery,General Manager, NATS Heathrow said: “This is a significant date in aviation history as the Heathrow tower celebrates 50 years of operation,where a dedicated team of air traffic controllers, air traffic assistants, engineers and support staff have safely moved hundreds of millions of passengers, providing a first class service to our customers.
“The existing tower is too small to meet with the future requirements of this busy airport and we look forward to moving into our new home which will become the Heathrow icon of the future.
The new tower will deliver both capacity and service improvements to facilitate the introduction of Terminal 5 and will provide an air traffic control platform for decades to come.”
The topping out ceremony involves gold bolts being tightened into the control tower marking the completion of its main structure.The ritual aims to ensure that prosperity and good luck for the building will ensue.Once the bolts have been tightened the team follows top out tradition by hosting a celebration.
Tony Douglas, MD of Terminal 5 said:“The emergence of this elegant structure onto Heathrow’s skyline is symbolic of the transformation taking place here at the world’s busiest international airport.”
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