After 47 years Heathrow Airport's Terminal 1 will close its doors to passengers for the last time tonight.

British European Airways was the first operator to fly from Terminal 1 when it was opened by the Queen in May 1968.

The final departure is also due to be a British Airways flight, this time to Hanover.

Its closure will allow Terminal 2 to be expanded and comes in the week the Airport Commission decides whether to permit a third runway at Heathrow.

A spokesman for Heathrow Airport said the industry expected Sir Howard Davies's report on airport expansion to be published later this week.

At its peak, more than nine million passengers a year passed through Terminal 1, which was the largest short-haul terminal in Western Europe.

In recent weeks, flights have been transferred to Terminal 2 and passengers numbers have fallen to just 1,700 and 17 flights a day.

Terminal 2 will be expanded to take the place of Terminal 1 and if the government supports a third runway at Heathrow then Terminal 2 will be extended further still.

Heathrow chief executive John Holland Kaye said; "The closure of Terminal 1 marks another important milestone in the transformation of Heathrow.

"Terminal 1 has served Britain well for nearly 50 years, but will soon make way for the expansion of Terminal 2, giving Britain a world class airport that we can all be proud of."

Source: BBC