Passengers using Heathrow's new £2.5bn Terminal 2 (T2) for the first time today are being warned to expect early teething problems.
Bosses at the west London airport are not expecting a repeat of the calamitous opening of Terminal 5 (T5) back in 2008, which led to travel chaos.
This is because T2 will open in phases, with only 10% of its eventual capacity being reached today.
The first flight - a service from Chicago scheduled to reach Heathrow at around 5.55am - will be operated by the American carrier United Airlines, which will have the terminal to itself in the first few days.
There will be a total of 34 flights to and from the terminal today, involving 6,000 passengers.
By the end of this year more than 20 airlines will have moved in, with 330 flights a day to 50 destinations.
T2 boasts 60 check-in gates and 66 self-check-in kiosks, 29 security lanes, 33 shops, 17 restaurants, more than 7,000 seats, 634 toilets and 42 water fountains.
John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow development director and chief executive designate, said the airport had "sought advice from other airports around the world and learnt lessons from opening T5".
He added: "Heathrow is confident but not complacent about the opening. We recognise that there will inevitably be some teething problems in the first few days.
"We will be focused on identifying and resolving issues as quickly as possible to deliver a smooth journey for passengers."
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