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Britain's busiest and biggest airport has marked its 70th anniversary in style with actress Joanna Lumley, who unveiled the final platinum plaque in a series of new installations at Heathrow Airport .

Alongside a cardboard cutout, plaque number 70 starring the Absolutely Fabulous actress was uncovered at Heathrow's Terminal 5 on Monday morning.

It recalls her memorable journey from Heathrow to Nepal in 2009 to campaign for Gurkhas who fought in Britain to be able to settle here.

Lumley, who also turned 70 in May, said: “It’s such an honour to be here to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Heathrow, an airport that has played host to some of the world’s most amazing journeys.

“I have travelled through Heathrow for work, pleasure and for trips close to my heart, with my travels to Nepal being some of the most precious moments of my life.”

The commemorative displays which record historical journeys and are on show across the four terminals each represent iconic moments of British culture and some of the world’s most famous faces , from David Beckham to Barack Obama and Princess Diana to Tim Peake .

They include back in 1952 when Her Majesty The Queen stepped onto sovereign soil at Heathrow for the very first time as the reigning monarch, to the return of global superstars The Beatles in 1964 to thousands of screaming fans, the first Concorde passenger flight in 1976 and the arrival of the world’s largest passenger plane - the A380 - in 2008.

John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow CEO, said, “We’re very proud of the role the airport has played in millions of people’s lives as well as the economic success of the UK.

"This is an occasion for everyone to celebrate how Heathrow’s global connections have influenced our nation and to recognise the possibilities of those journeys yet to come.

“Over the last 70 years Heathrow has also seen more than two billion passengers pass through the airport and today more than 75,000 dedicated people come to work to ensure the best possible experience for travellers. We’re all very excited about what the future of Heathrow will bring”.

Originally used as a site for military purposes during the Second World War it was handed over to the Minister for Civil Aviation on May 1 1946 and officially opened as London Airport at the end of the month.

It has since built five terminals, seen the departures and arrivals of more than 20 million flights and served more than two billion passengers.

Over the past 70 years the most visited cities include New York, Dublin and Dubai, with airlines now flying to more than 80 destinations across the globe from Heathrow.