It might not seem like the most logical place to start looking for ghosts, with it’s clean modern design and having only existed since as a civil airport since 1946, but there are a surprising number of ghostly reports and not just from the passengers.
One of the most famous seems to that of a person dressed as a highwayman who appears around Terminal 3. Before Heathrow was built there was a hamlet of Heathrow situated on Hounslow Heath and back in the 1700’s this was known to be the residence for many local highwaymen. The reports come from both passengers and flight crews alike making them much more credible.
Another earlier report seems to revolve around the crash of a Belgian Airlines DC3 in 1948 on Runway 2-8-Right. Just after the crash a gentleman startled the rescue crews by appearing out of the fog asking if they’d found his briefcase, then disappearing again – he was later found amongst the wreckage.
This gentleman has also been seen many times since, usually walking along the same runway. Those who’ve seen him say that he appears dazed and appearing to be looking for something, but then simply vanishes.
Generally the reports simply involve people being seen, although one night in 1970, the airport police were called out to a report of someone showing up on radar wandering along the runway. Having reached the runway no one could be seen even though the search party and the mysterious figure both converged at least on the radar screen. No one was ever found.
A final haunting involves a mysterious man who appears occasionally in the business lounge. Witnesses say he appears worried and searching, but then just disappears a few seconds later. His identity has not yet been established.
So if you head out of the country from Heathrow in the future and the signs say “Keep an eye out for anything unusual”….well it might not just be unattended baggage you want to be looking for.
