Flying from Heathrow Terminal 4? The way you get there — and where you leave your car — has changed. The terminal’s multi-storey car park has permanently closed for a major redevelopment, and passengers need to know the new arrangements before they set off.
The terminal itself remains open while the work is underway, but drivers who used the old car park will find a different setup waiting.
Why the car park closed
The multi-storey shut for good on June 23, 2026. According to Heathrow, the building had reached the end of its life and needs to be redeveloped to meet modern safety and accessibility standards.
The closure is part of a wider modernisation of Terminal 4’s car park and forecourt. Heathrow says a brand-new multi-storey will eventually replace the old facility, with changes to the forecourt too — all aimed at improving accessibility and safety, making wayfinding and traffic flow clearer, and building infrastructure ready for the future.
Both Terminal Parking (previously known as Short Stay) and Heathrow’s Meet and Greet service at Terminal 4 are affected by the closure.
Key facts: where to park now
New parking location: all passenger parking linked to the old multi-storey has moved to Zone A of the Terminal 4 Park & Ride car park.
Free option: Heathrow is letting drivers park in Zone A free for up to two hours — ideal if you’re accompanying a departing passenger inside or meeting someone off a flight.
After two hours: standard Park & Ride charges apply.
Getting to the terminal: free shuttle buses connect Zone A with Terminal 4 every five minutes; the journey takes around 10 minutes.
Pre-booked parking: if you’ve already booked regular Park & Ride, continue to use Zones B, C and D as normal.
Picking up and dropping off
The good news: you can still drive straight to the terminal. The departures drop-off area on Level 4 remains open as normal, with Heathrow’s Terminal Drop-Off Charge applying as before.
For arrivals, a Priority Pick-Up area is available outside the arrivals hall on Level 1 for quick collections. If you’d rather park up and walk in to meet someone, use Zone A and hop on the free shuttle.
One service that hasn’t survived the works: Meet & Greet parking is currently unavailable at Terminal 4 for the duration of the redevelopment. Public transport services to the terminal are unaffected.
Part of a bigger Heathrow rebuild
The Terminal 4 works are one piece of a much larger programme of upgrades across Heathrow. The airport has been investing heavily in modernising ageing infrastructure — from security halls to baggage systems — as passenger numbers continue to climb back towards pre-pandemic records and beyond.
Terminal 4 itself has had something of a renaissance in recent years, welcoming back airlines and passengers after a period of reduced operations. The new car park and forecourt are meant to match that revival: safer, more accessible and better signed, with traffic flows designed for the way people actually use the airport now rather than when the old multi-storey was built.
For now, though, it’s a building site — so patience and planning are the order of the day.
Passenger tips
Allow extra time. The shuttle adds around 10 minutes each way plus waiting time, so build at least 20–25 minutes into your journey compared with the old walk-from-the-multi-storey days.
If you’re only saying goodbye or greeting someone, the free two-hour window in Zone A is genuinely useful — park, take the shuttle, and you won’t pay a penny. Just keep an eye on the clock.
And if you’re driving to the airport, factor in fuel costs too — diesel has just hit a record price. For many Londoners, the train or Tube to Heathrow may work out cheaper and simpler while the works continue.
