Arriving and Departing Gate Information
The location of all the gates in T5 is shown in the diagram below.
Generally the target time for specific gates to show up on the information boards in T5 is 80 minutes before the flight, although you may find early morning flights departing before 0730 are already shown from 0500 when T5 opens. Also domestic flight may often show “Will depart A gates” and some long haul flights (especially A380 operated ones) may show “Will depart C gates” a few hours before the departure time. The display boards inside T5B and T5C will show connections for up to 2 hours ahead generally.
For other sources of information both the BA and Heathrow apps are recommended, and they will alert you when there is a specific gate open for your flight.
Although generally flights can arrive and depart from any gate in T5, there are a few specific categories of flights which tend to leave or arrive at certain gates and these are described below.
Domestic Arrival Gates
Domestic flights will arrive at gates A1-A3, and A5-A6 (previously it used to include A7 and A8 but since 2019 these are no longer used for domestic arrivals). These are the only gates which have a route for UK arrivals to the domestic baggage hall, and these gates are all arranged around the north end of T5A.
Any arriving domestic flight not parking at one of these gates would have to be bussed regardless of whether the aircraft parked on a remote stand or one with a jet bridge. Most of the time this would mean arriving at a remote stand, but occasionally a domestic flight could arrive at A9-A23 or a B/C gate, and even though there is a working jet bridge all passengers would have to be bussed to the T5A UK arrivals entrance. This entrance for bussed domestic arrivals is on the ground floor on the north side of T5A below the jet bridge for A2.
On getting to the T5A UK arrivals entrance:
- For passengers connecting to any T2/3/4/5 LHR flight you need to go upstairs using the stairs or lift - do not go through the automatic glass gates.
- For arrivals or if needing to go landside you go through the automatic glass gates and either left to the UK baggage hall or right to the exit.
In the past occasionally bus drivers have delivered UK arriving passengers to the international passenger entrance which is on the east side of T5A. However, there are now signs up in the bus areas to remind drivers which place they need to take inbound passengers and this problem doesn’t seem to have re-occurred.
DUB Arrival Gates - A22 & A23
DUB arrivals come in to gates A22 or A23, and sometimes also use remote stands. There is a separate corridor for arriving passengers from DUB which leads from opposite A23 to an area after passport control and above the international baggage hall - arriving passengers from DUB do not go through passport control in the UK and this separate corridor allows bypassing of immigration.
DUB arrivals parking on to a remote stand or any gate other than A23/22 would be bussed to a door on the ground floor below the jet bridge for A23 so they could exit via the DUB arrivals corridor. These passengers would not be bussed to international arrivals entrance under the FCC or to domestic arrivals around the corner under A2.
More details on the DUB arrivals area is shown in this post below
this post below.
Departure Bus Gates
There are a number of remote stands scattered around T5, and these are all accessed through the bus boarding gates A4, A10, and B36.
A4 is the domestic and DUB bus gate and is subdivided in to separated bus gates A4a and A4b. In theory A4 could be used as a bus gate for an international departures but this rarely happens.
A10 is the international bus gate and is subdivided in to A10a to A10e. A10a has been equipped to be used for domestic or DUB departures as well.
Domestic & DUB Departure Gates
UK domestic departures and DUB departures require use of biometric facial recognition equipment. This is only fitted to certain gates at T5, and all of these are in T5A. UK/DUB departures are always from T5A and never from the B or C satellite buildings.
For both UK and DUB flights before you enter the airside departures area your photo is taken - this happens at the gates to enter the first wing, south/north security lanes, or if you are connecting and using the FCC just before you head up to security. When your boarding pass is the scanned at the gate your photo is matched to you to ensure that the person boarding the domestic or DUB flight is the same person that went through security.
The only jet bridge gates fitted with the facial recognition equipment are A1-A3, A5-A9, A11-A23. Bus gate A4 (which is divided in to A4a and A4b sub gates) is a dedicated UK/DUB bus gate, and as of early 2018 A10a has also been fitted with the facial recognition equipment so can also be used as a UK/DUB bus gate. Also it seems two B gates (B44 & B45) are now fitted with biometrics so it is possible you could even go from T5B.
Therefore, if you are departing on a domestic flight or DUB flight you will leave from A1-A3, A5-A9, A11-A23, B44, or B45. If you are being bussed this will be from A4a, A4b, or A10a. This will most likely be because the aircraft is on a remote stand, but sometimes it can be because the aircraft is parked on a jet bridge gate which is not one of those fitted with the facial recognition equipment.
A380 Gates
Only certain gates at T5C have three jet bridges and are capable of handling A380s. These gates are C55, C56, C57, C61, C62, C63, C64, and C65. Gates B44, B45, B46, and B47 on the T5B satellite building are also A380 capable, but they hardly ever seem to be used for A380s.
It is also possible that an A380 could be bussed from A10 to a remote stand, but this rarely seems to happen.