Heathrow airport staff step back into the limelight when the second series of ‘Heathrow: Britain’s Busiest Airport’ airs on ITV next week.
The weekly three part series looks at the variety of roles undertaken daily by some of the 76,000 people who work at the UK’s only hub airport. The first series proved incredibly popular, with over 3 million viewers tuning in to watch. The exciting documentary goes behind the scenes to look at how the world’s busiest two runway airport is run.
Episode 1, which airs at 9pm on Monday 30th May, features Security Officers working in Terminal 4, Passenger Experience Managers from Terminal 2 and Animal Health Officers at the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre. The Heathrow Animal Reception Centre is owned and managed by the City of London Corporation in its role as the port health authority for the capital.
Some of the staff to look out for are:
Shahid Saleem, a Security Officer in Terminal 4 from Slough who has worked at Heathrow for 10 years.
He said: “I love working with so many different people and meeting different passengers. If I can put a smile on someone's face or make their journey easier and enjoyable then fantastic. It may sound sad, but I love my job, I always have done. I don't get tired of it and always looking forward to coming in to work."
Shahid’s favourite moment working at the airport was meeting Bollywood actor, Amitabh Bachan, who was his childhood hero. He has a 3-year-old daughter who means the world to him. They love to bake together and his plan is to turn her into a master baker so that they can open a bakery.
Callum Riseley is a Passenger Service Manager in the operations team for Terminals 2 and 3. He lives in Ealing but is originally from Colchester and has worked at Heathrow for four years. At the age of 22 he already has a wealth of experience, starting his career as a Security Officer at Stansted, then a spell working for British Airways, before undertaking a diverse number of roles at Heathrow.
He said: “Heathrow is a really exciting place to work as no two days are ever the same - you never know what to expect when you arrive at work. There are so many fantastic opportunities to grow and develop my career. The team are so supportive and I have met some amazing people who have helped me progress. As a bustling international airport, working at Heathrow is great for learning about different cultures and widening your horizons.”
Callum’s favourite moment working at the airport was being part of the opening of Terminal 2. He is passionate about languages, currently studying for a degree and likes to use his German and Spanish with passengers when he can. In his spare time he likes to travel, he loves to fly and is a big fan of dance music.
Victoria Howell, is the City of London Corporation’s Animal Health Officer at the Heathrow Animal Reception Centre. She lives in Andover and has worked at Heathrow for two years and eight months.
She said: “As you would imagine, there is never a dull moment working in the Animal Reception Centre. You can go from dealing with a cute puppy to a cow or a rhino. The highlights are moments when you get to reunite owners with their animals but then the downside is telling owners that their pets need to go into quarantine.”
Victoria’s favourite moments working at the airport are when she gets to deal with rare animals. In 2014 she helped care for 12 iguanas that were discovered during routine customs checks. She loves photographing animals and visiting zoos. She is a big fan of David Attenborough.
Demetrios Geniris is a Passenger Experience Manager Terminal 2 and was also part of the first series of Britain’s Busiest Airport. Demetrios has worked at Heathrow for just under 20 years, starting off in a role with Cyprus Airways before moving across to work for the airport. He is originally from Edmonton in Enfield but now lives in Bracknell.
He said: “The beauty of working here is that every day is different. I love giving everyone a great day at Heathrow. Whether it’s guiding them, helping them or just having a chat, I aim to try to make their day. It’s a good buzz.”
Demitrios has had a number of highlights during his time at Heathrow, including meeting Michael Jackson, being part of the buzz during the Olympics and his involvement with the opening of Terminal 2. He loves spending time with his family and met his wife at a check-in desk while working at the airport.
