The UK’s one of the biggest airports has been branded a “Second World War” terminal in a scathing attack by an Airline boss.
The head of Emirates compared Heathrow Airport’s levels of customer service to something that would be found in a rundown post-World War Two airport, it has been reported.
Sir Tim Clark, the head of Emirates, lashed out at those handling the airport of prioritising shareholders and the payment of dividends over the state of the aviation hub.
The UAE flag carrier is based out of Terminal 3.
He told The Times: “I was at Heathrow the other day and walking out of our lounge the ceiling height is awful.
“It looks like a utilitarian structure, post-Second World War. It is just not good enough.”
He blasted the airport as “seriously lagging behind” when it comes to how customers experience travelling through and called for a major reconfiguration to improve the situation.
He said: “It’s an old airport. I am afraid it’s very difficult. You need to open up the whole terminal.
“Where we are based, new airports are being built employing the latest technologies to streamline the process of all the customer-facing elements. That is not the case at Heathrow.”
Sir Tim would also want the plaza at Terminal 3 reduced in size to allow more room for security and check-in, reports The Times.
A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Every pound we want to spend on improving airport facilities needs approval from our regulator.
“Despite having our proposals cut back in the current regulatory settlement, we will still invest £3.6bn upgrading our infrastructure over the next three years.
“We will continue to invest and to work with our airline partners to build an airport fit for the future.”
Earlier this year, the Civil Aviation Authority said that passenger charges in place at Heathrow for the next two years could be cut by 6 per cent.
Charges are paid by airlines but are generally passed on to passengers in air fares.
If the proposals are implemented, average charges per passenger would be cut by around £1.52 to £23.72 in 2025, and by £1.58 to £23.70 in 2026.
Express.co.uk has reached out to the airport for a comment.