Heathrow Airport has announced that five airlines will change terminals in 2028, following a terminal occupancy review that began in 2023. The most significant move separates Delta Air Lines from its transatlantic joint-venture partner Virgin Atlantic, who have shared Terminal 3 for over a decade.
Under the new allocation, Delta, Finnair and Japan Airlines will all move from Terminal 3 to Terminal 4. China Southern will move from Terminal 4 to Terminal 5, joining British Airways there. LATAM will move from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2, where it joins the Star Alliance carriers already based there. Virgin Atlantic will remain at Terminal 3 on its own.
The change was first reported by the aviation site Head for Points, which said the five airlines together account for about 3.5% of Heathrow's annual seat capacity, roughly 1.83 million seats a year based on Cirium data. Delta is by far the largest of the group, with around 900,000 seats a year, more than double any of the other four carriers moving.
Heathrow said the review was designed to make better use of terminal capacity as the airport serves more than 84 million passengers a year across 84 airlines, and that the move should ease congestion at Terminal 3, the airport's oldest. The airport said airlines representing 81% of Heathrow passengers backed the decision, a figure Head for Points has questioned given only 3.5% of seats are directly affected.
Virgin Atlantic has objected strongly. Chief executive Corneel Koster said the move would create friction for customers, weaken competition and reduce choice, and the airline has said it is considering all available options. Separating Delta from Virgin Atlantic breaks up a joint venture that allows the two airlines to coordinate scheduling and pricing on transatlantic routes, and Delta will instead join its SkyTeam partners Air France and KLM at Terminal 4.
For passengers, the practical impact centres on connections. Those transferring between Delta and Virgin Atlantic flights, including onward journeys to Virgin's Africa and Asia network, are likely to need a bus transfer between terminals once the move takes effect. Finnair and Japan Airlines passengers will lose access to the Terminal 3 oneworld lounges, moving instead to Terminal 4's lounges alongside Qatar Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc. Terminal 4 also has no direct Heathrow Express service, so rail travellers will need to change trains at Terminals 2 or 3 to reach the Elizabeth Line connection.
None of this affects travel through Heathrow immediately. The moves are scheduled for 2028, so passengers flying with any of the five airlines in the meantime should continue to check in at their current terminal: Delta, Finnair, Japan Airlines and Virgin Atlantic at Terminal 3, China Southern at Terminal 4, and LATAM at Terminal 3.
What this means for your journey: nothing changes at the airport today, but if you are flying with Delta, Virgin Atlantic, Finnair, Japan Airlines, China Southern or LATAM from 2028 onward, check your terminal before you travel. For getting to and from Heathrow in the meantime, see our public transport guide.