British Airways is building a new lounge at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 C Gates, with a 17-metre bar, airfield views and a private Concorde space.
Long-haul departures from Heathrow Terminal 5 often follow the same routine. You settle into a lounge in the main building, keep an eye on the departures board, then take the shuttle train out to C Gates, where there are plenty of gates and few places to settle in. British Airways now plans to change that.
The airline will open a new lounge at Terminal 5 C Gates at the end of 2028 as the first phase of a programme that will redesign every one of the airline’s Heathrow lounges over the coming years.
The centrepiece is a bar. At 17 metres, it’s expected to be among the world’s longest airport lounge bars. It will anchor a space that British Airways calls one of its largest and most ambitious lounge projects, the work for which has already started.
The lounge will have sweeping views across the airfield and terminal concourse, separate areas for dining, relaxing and working, and showers for freshening up before a long flight.
The design is deliberately British. Timber, glazing, metalwork, textiles and furnishings will be sourced and crafted across the UK, with architectural details inspired by the sky. Inside the lounge, a dedicated Concorde lounge for First customers will offer private concierge service, elevated dining and darker, richer materials. It is intended as a quieter retreat before long-haul departures from C Gates.
A Softer Landing, Too
The new development also covers arrivals. British Airways is rebuilding its Terminal 5 Arrivals lounge as the first arrivals space designed around the new lounge concept it debuted in Miami. Refurbishment is due to begin in early 2027, and the lounge is scheduled to open by the end of that year.
After an overnight flight, the most useful number is the shower count: 59 shower rooms, plus premium shower suites and shared dressing areas. The lounge will also have a coffee bar and deli, larger dining spaces, quiet zones and work booths. First customers get their own Concorde Arrivals area with private cabanas, finished in the airline’s blue, red and cream.
The first change will arrive sooner. British Airways and American Airlines will open a new First check-in at Terminal 3 this winter. Its deep red palette is a nod to the First Wing at Terminal 5.
British Airways has recently opened or refurbished lounges in Miami, Glasgow, Seattle and Washington, and work is under way in Boston and Newark. Geneva and San Francisco follow next year.
