Heathrow Airport's chief executive has been forced to publicly defend a decision to split long-time partner airlines Virgin Atlantic and Delta between different terminals, after Virgin Atlantic's boss launched a furious public attack on the plan this week and threatened to challenge it.
Under Heathrow's reshuffle, due to take effect in 2028, Virgin Atlantic will stay in Terminal 3 while Delta moves to Terminal 4. The two airlines have shared Terminal 3 since 2016 under a transatlantic joint venture dating back to 2014, and Delta holds a stake in Virgin Atlantic. Splitting them means passengers connecting between the two carriers will face longer transfer times, and Delta customers travelling in business class will lose access to Virgin's Clubhouse lounge.
Speaking at the Airlines 2026 conference this week, Virgin Atlantic chief executive Corneel Koster called the move "anti-competitive, mindless, irrational" and said the airline would challenge it "extremely hard together with Delta." He also accused Heathrow of trying to announce the change quietly around the time of the Budget so it would attract less attention.
Heathrow's chief executive Thomas Woldbye responded by defending the process behind the decision, telling the same event the airport had been through "three consultations over three years" and had checked the plan's objectives with airlines, with a majority supporting it. He said the wider terminal reshuffle, which also moves Finnair, Japan Airlines and LATAM, would let 2.5 million more passengers use Heathrow each year and cut the per-passenger airport charge by one pound.
Rob Bishton, chief executive of the Civil Aviation Authority, the industry regulator, said at the same event that he would consider Virgin Atlantic's complaints if they were formally escalated to the watchdog, calling them "serious issues."
For passengers, the terminal changes do not take effect until 2028, so there is no immediate impact on travel through Heathrow this winter. Anyone booked on a joint Virgin Atlantic and Delta itinerary, or relying on lounge access across the two carriers, should watch for further updates as the dispute plays out, since Virgin Atlantic has signalled it may try to get the plan changed or delayed.
What this means for your journey: the terminal split will not affect flights for at least two years, so transport planning for current trips through Heathrow is unaffected. If you are driving in or need to book parking well in advance for a future trip, see our /parking/ guide.