Monarch Opens New Heathrow Terminal

On the eve of the queen's visit, police arrested a man who ran out onto a Heathrow runway. Police exploded his bag as a precaution but did not find a bomb and said they did not believe the incident was terrorism-related. His motive was not clear. Green protesters worry the new terminal is just the first stage in a vast new expansion that will see a third runway, sixth terminal and up to twice as many passengers. Last month, protesters broke into the airport and wrapped a banner around a plane. Others chained themselves to the roof of the House of Commons.

The airport's operator BAA, owned by Spanish firm Ferrovial, says passengers want luxury shops. Critics say the company should do more to speed passengers quickly onto planes and less to try to make money from them as they wait. "London deserves a first-class airport. We are starting today. This is a new beginning," BAA chairman Nigel Rudd told BBC television on Friday. He said plans to replace ageing Terminals One and Two would mean 70 percent of passengers will be using new terminals within four years.

Heathrow began as a tented village in 1946. When it last expanded in the 1980s it was designed to handle about 45 million passengers a year, but it now squeezes 67.3 million through. Because of its crowding, Heathrow has had one of the worst rates of airport delays in the world. Business leaders have complained the logjam could jeopardize London's status as a global financial center.

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