Heathrow’s first terminal is being razed to the ground. Demolition work started today in order to make way for its new, £1 billion replacement - Terminal 2.

The new terminal will be home to Star Alliance airlines, and 20 million passengers will use its modern facilities every year.  Locating one alliance at the new terminal will reduce connecting times for passengers, providing an improved, faster service and strengthening Heathrow’s competitive position.

The original Terminal 2 closed to passengers at the end of last year, after 55 years. Since then, it has been prepared for demolition.

Colin Matthews, chief executive of BAA, said: “Heathrow is changing for the better, and there is much still to do.  Our brand new Terminal 2 will offer a better service to airlines and millions of passengers.”

Originally called the Europa Building, the airport’s first terminal opened in 1956 and became a backdrop to the glitterati as icons from the stage and screen passed through its doors. Stars and royalty passing through included

The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Gwyneth Paltrow, Princess Margaret and Princess Grace of Monaco.

In 1980, tapes from the classic TV show Dallas containing the ‘who shot JR?’ storyline arrived amid tight security at Terminal 2.  In 2006, Matt Damon filmed scenes from the Bourne Ultimatum in the terminal’s arrivals hall.