First impressions of the new Terminal 2 at Heathrow reveal Norman Foster at his mighty architectural best. Uncluttered, crisp, elegant spaces are combined with 10m windows keep the new building as free of artificial light as possible under an aerofoil shaped sweeping roof.

Foster’s visionary design will rank Heathrow, long an aesthetic and logistic nightmare, among the world’s best terminals.

Completion of the new terminal is forecast for 2019, a year which will likely see Heathrow almost unrecognisable from its current state, with upgrades slated for Terminals 3 and 4 along with an extension to the Richard Roger’s inspired Terminal 5. A new runaway is also a distinct possibility.

Foster and his design team rose to prominence with their superb construction of Chek Lap Kok in Hong Kong and Beijing airports. Incredible infrastructure and lightweight design have led to Chek Lap Kok consistently being rated as the favorite transit point for travelers. Beijing’s Terminal 3, a 1.8 mile dragon red dragon, is the most ambitious airport design in history to date, spearheading China’s rise as an architectural superpower in the 21st century.

Rogers and Foster continue to work to civilise airport design in times of political, economic and technical uncertainty. The trick is to balance aesthetics with practicality and even, as The Guardian ponders, bring Casablanca-style romance back to flight.