Airports of London
The metropolitan area of London, England is served by six international airports and several smaller airports. Together, they make the busiest airport system in the world by passenger numbers and the second busiest by aircraft movements.[1] In 2011, all six airports handled 133,709,327 passengers. The London airports handle 60% of all the United Kingdom's air traffic. There are 14 domestic destinations served by the airports and 396 international destinations.
Contents
International airports
| Airport | Code | Distance to London |
Passengers[3][4] | Percentage of passengers |
Change from 2011[3][4] |
Cargo (Tonnes) | Change from 2010 |
Aircraft Movements[5] |
Change from 2011 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London City | LCY | 11 km / 7 mi | 3,016,664 | 2.23% |  0.8% |
|
|
70,781 | 2.9% |
| Heathrow | LHR | 22 km / 14 mi | 70,037,417 | 51.88% | 0.9% |
1,484,351 | 1% |
475,176 |  1.2% |
| Gatwick | LGW | 48 km / 30 mi | 34,235,982 | 25.36% | 1.7% |
88,085 | 15% |
256,987 | 1.6% |
| Luton | LTN | 57 km / 35 mi | 9,617,697 | 7.12% | 1.1% |
27,905 | 3% |
96,797 | 0.8% |
| Stansted | STN | 64 km / 40 mi | 17,472,699 | 12.94% | 3.2% |
202,593 | 0% |
143,511 | 3.2% |
| Southend | SEN | 64 km / 40 mi | 617,027 | 0.45% | 1353.9% |
6 | 100% |
27,715 | 8.8% |
| Total | N/A | N/A | 134,997,486 | 100% | 1.02% |
1,802,939 | N/A | 1,070,967 | 0.11% |
City (LCY)
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Located in the London Borough of Newham, City Airportmap5 is situated in London's disused Docklands, and is the closest to Central London, which limits its size - the airport has a single runway, which is very short. As a result, no large aircraft are permitted to use the airport, which initially prevented all long-haul flights. However, since 2011, British Airways has operated a flight to New York JFK, via Shannon, using an Airbus A318, which is currently the largest aircraft handled at the airport.
Located only 4 miles from Canary Wharf, London City Airport is often used by businesspeople, with many flights serving destinations across the UK and Northern Europe. The airport cannot be expanded due to the docks on either side. It is also the only airport serving London which does not operate at night.
Until the extension of the Docklands Light Railway in 2006, City Airport had poor public transport connections to London.
Heathrow (LHR)
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Located in the London Borough of Hillingdon, Heathrowmap1 is by far the largest of London's airports, and considered the international gateway into the United Kingdom. Heathrow has five terminals and two parallel runways. Due to the location in London's western suburbs, Heathrow has been unable to expand (especially since the Cameron ministry scrapped the proposals for a third runway on 12 May 2010[6]), and as a result consistently runs at 99% capacity. This has led to Heathrow being one of the worst rated airports in the world, with lengthy border control queues being a recent problem.[7] The airport is connected to Great Britain's motorway network via the M4 and M25 motorways.
In April 2012, Heathrow announced that for the first time in history it handled 70 million passengers in a calendar year,[8] making it the third busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger numbers, after Atlanta and Beijing. It also comes second behind Dubai International Airport in the list of the busiest airport in the world in terms of international passenger numbers, as well as the busiest airport in United Kingdom and the busiest in Europe, again, both in terms of passenger numbers.
Heathrow serves six continents around the world, and is the base for the flag carrier British Airways in Terminal 5. While it also serves short-haul flights, Heathrow is London's long distance hub and is the most popular arrival point for flights from the United States of America, with 13 million passengers. However, because it is operating at capacity, Heathrow has failed to increase service cities in the newly industrialized countries, like China, falling behind European bases like Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Paris.
Gatwick (LGW)
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Located in West Sussex, Gatwickmap2 is the second busiest airport in the London metropolitan region, and is the busiest single runway airport in the world. It is currently the second busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow, and the 10th busiest in Europe. It is the second base for British Airways, serving Europe and the Caribbean. It is also the base for low-cost carriers like Monarch, easyJet, Norwegian Air Shuttle and Flybe.
The airport consists of two terminals, North and South, is connected to the motorway network via the M23, and has its own railway station, with Gatwick Express serving Victoria station in Central London.
Luton (LTN)
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Located in Bedfordshire, Luton Airportmap4 is London's fourth largest airport, the fifth busiest in the United Kingdom, and the 42nd busiest in Europe. It is the headquarters of the low cost carrier EasyJet and is a focus airport for other no-frills airlines.
Stansted (STN)
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Located in Essex, Stanstedmap3 is London's third busiest airport, being the fourth busiest in the United Kingdom, behind Manchester Airport, 26th busiest in Europe, and is one of the primary operational bases for Europe's largest low-cost carrier, Ryanair. Stansted destinations are largely in Europe, however in the past it has served destinations further afield, like Kuala Lumpur. It is the home of Harrods Aviation, allowing VIP aircraft to land there, such as Air Force One carrying the President of the United States, Barack Obama, in 2009 and also 2016.[9]
Southend (SEN)
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Located in Essex, Southend Airportmap6 expanded commercial air transport operations to destinations in Ireland in 2011, and to Europe in 2012 when easyJet commenced operations using the brand new terminal and train station. Southend claims it only takes 15 minutes to get through arrivals from plane to train with hand luggage. It was once the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom.
Other civil airports
A number of other airports also serve the London area.
Open airports
The following are mainly used by general aviation flights.
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- London Biggin Hill Airportmap7, in the London Borough of Bromley
- Blackbushe Airportmap8, in Hampshire
- Damyns Hall Aerodromemap9, in the London Borough of Havering
- Denham Aerodromemap10, in Buckinghamshire
- Elstree Airfieldmap11, in Hertfordshire
- Fairoaks Airportmap12, in Surrey
- Farnborough Airportmap13, in Hampshire
- London Heliportmap14, in the London Borough of Wandsworth
- Lydd Airport (London Ashford Airport)map15, in Kent
- North Weald Airfieldmap16, in Essex
- London Oxford Airportmap17, in Oxfordshire
- Panshanger Aerodromemap18, in Hertfordshire
- Redhill Aerodromemap19, in Surrey
- Rochester Airportmap20, in Kent
- Stapleford Aerodromemap21, in Essex
- White Waltham Airfieldmap22, in Berkshire
- Wycombe Air Parkmap23, in Buckinghamshire
Closed airports
Airports are listed at their current borough, although the area may have been outside London at the time of construction.
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- Cricklewood Aerodromemap24, in the London Borough of Barnet
- Croydon Airportmap25, in the London Borough of Croydon
- Great West Aerodromemap26, in the London Borough of Hillingdon
- Hendon Aerodromemap27, in the London Borough of Barnet
- Heston Aerodromemap28, in the London Borough of Hounslow
- Hounslow Heath Aerodromemap29, in the London Borough of Hounslow
- London Air Park (Hanworth Air Park)map30, in the London Borough of Hounslow
- Stag Lane Aerodromemap31, in the London Borough of Barnet
Royal Air Force stations
There were several Royal Air Force stations in London. This list excludes those that are classed as non-flying stations.
Operational
- RAF Northoltmap32, in the London Borough of Hillingdon, also handes civil flights
Non-operational
Station are listed at their current borough, although the area may have been outside London at the time of construction.
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- RAF Biggin Hillmap7, in the London Borough of Bromley
- RAF Fairlopmap33, in the London Borough of Redbridge
- RAF Hendonmap27, in the London Borough of Barnet
- RAF Hestonmap28, in the London Borough of Hounslow
- RAF Hornchurchmap34, in the London Borough of Havering
- RAF Kenleymap35, in the London Borough of Croydon
- RAF St Pancrasmap36, in the London Borough of Camden
- RAF Uxbridgemap37, in the London Borough of Hillingdon
Proposed airports
Thames Estuary
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Due to London's high capacity, in particular London Heathrow, Boris Johnson, London's mayor, and Sir Norman Forster have both brought up plans to have a new airport built, either on a man-made island in the Thames Estuary, or on the Isle of Grain in North Kent. Foster's proposed Thames Hub Airport would be very similar to the design of Hong Kong International Airport and Qatar's Hamad International Airport. The plans to have an airport able to handle 110 million passengers a year would require the closure of Heathrow, and probably make the new airport the busiest in the world.
The plans have met with opposition from some people living nearby warning the airport would create a significant increase in bird strikes.[10] Other people and local businesses, recognising the depressed levels of economic activity in North Kent, have been supportive and argue that London needs a new airport in order to be able to compete in the world.
Traffic and Statistics
Passengers Numbers
 |
| Updated: 28 April 2015.[11] |
| Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, City, Southend |
| Year | Aircraft movements |
Percentage change |
Passenger numbers |
Percentage change |
Cargo tonnes |
Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1,074,773[12] | 1 |
113,790,381 | 2 |
1,649,437 | |
| 2002 | 954,570[13] | 11.2 |
117,138,188 | 2.9 |
1,682,693 | 2.0 |
| 2003 | 967,270[14] | 1.3 |
120,493,239 | 2.9 |
1,667,803 | 0.9 |
| 2004 | 1,005,256[15] | 3.8 |
128,933,753 | 7.0 |
1,795,326 | 7.6 |
| 2005 | 1,038,241[16] | 3.2 |
133,836,827 | 3.8 |
1,788,671 | 0.4 |
| 2006 | 1,060,831[17] | 5.4 |
137,192,958 | 2.5 |
1,717,360 | 4.0 |
| 2007 | 1,087,703[18] | 2.5 |
139,950,593 | 2.0 |
1,724,040 | 0.4 |
| 2008 | 1,077,448[19] | 0.9 |
137,106,041 | 2.0 |
1,743,028 | 1.1 |
| 2009 | 1,003,616[20] | 6.9 |
130,307,938 | 5.0 |
1,563,783 | 10.3 |
| 2010 | 954,371[21] | 4.9 |
127,353,419 | 2.3 |
1,808,005 | 15.6 |
| 2011 | 1,072,126[5] | 12.4 |
133,709,327 | 5.0 |
1,802,939[22] | 0.3 |
| 2012 | 1,060,967[5] | 1.0 |
134,914,412 | 0.9 |
1,805,761 [23] | 0.2 |
| 2013 | 1,067,992[5] | 0.7 |
139,652,261 | 3.5 |
1,760,690 [24] | 2.5 |
| 2014 | 1,098,605[5] | 2.9 |
146,631,158 | 5.0 |
1,819,587 [25] | 3.3 |
Busiest routes
In total, there were 30 international destinations from London, and another 3 domestic routes, that handled more than 1 million passengers in 2011:
| Destination | Number of passengers |
|---|---|
 Ireland, Dublin |
3,705,696 |
 Netherlands, Amsterdam |
3,026,082 |
 USA, New York JFK |
2,700,613 |
 UAE, Dubai |
2,506,613 |
 Spain, Madrid |
2,496,921 |
 Turkey, İstanbul |
2,376,284 |
 Switzerland, Geneva |
2,218,593 |
| Spain, Malaga |
1,814,682 |
 Germany, Frankfurt |
1,678,536 |
| Spain, Barcelona |
1,661,301 |
 Denmark, Copenhagen |
1,656,818 |
| Switzerland, Zurich |
1,642,959 |
| Germany, Munich |
1,546,441 |
 Italy, Rome Fiumicino |
1,530,810 |
 France, Paris-Charles de Gaulle |
1,526,030 |
 Hong Kong, Hong Kong |
1,412,749 |
| Spain, Alicante |
1,302,237 |
| USA, Los Angeles |
1,299,118 |
| USA, Chicago |
1,207,424 |
| USA, New York Newark |
1,197,847 |
| Spain, Palma de Mallorca |
1,189,761 |
 Canada, Toronto |
1,186,783 |
 Portugal, Faro |
1,186,358 |
 Sweden, Stockholm Arlanda |
1,185,848 |
 Hungary, Budapest |
1,145,011 |
| France, Nice |
1,134,396 |
 Singapore, Singapore |
1,069,706 |
| Portugal, Lisbon |
1,069,055 |
| USA, Boston |
1,031,320 |
 India, Delhi |
1,003,598 |
Heathrow Airport is a major hub for flights across the North Atlantic. In 2011, 11% of all north Atlantic flights originated or terminated at Heathrow, more than Paris and Frankfurt combined, and Heathrow is the European terminus for 11 of the 25 busiest north Atlantic routes.
The busiest long-haul route in the world is between London (Heathrow and Gatwick) and New York (JFK and Newark), with a total of 3,898,460 passengers travelling between the two cities in 2011.[citation needed]
Maps
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- ^map1 Heathrow, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map2 Gatwick, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map3 Stansted, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map4 Luton, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map5 City, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map6 Southend, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map7 Biggin Hill, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map8 Blackbushe, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map9 Damyns Hall, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map10 Denham, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map11 Elstree, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map12 Fairoaks, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map13 Farnborough, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map14 Heliport, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map15 Lydd, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map16 North Weald, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map17 Oxford, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map18 Panshanger, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map19 Redhill, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map20 Rochester, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map21 Stapleford, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map22 White Waltham, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map23 Wycombe, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map24 Cricklewood, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map25 Croydon, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map26 Great West, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map27 Hendon, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map28 Heston, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map29 Hounslow Heath, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map30 London Air Park, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map31 Stag Lane, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map32 RAF Northolt, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map33 RAF Fairlop, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map34 RAF Hornchurch, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map35 RAF Kenley, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map36 RAF St Pancras, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ^map37 RAF Uxbridge, Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
References
- ↑ Beijing to overtake London as world’s largest aviation hub. Massive new airport planned
- ↑ Size of Reporting Airports 2011
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Domestic Terminal Passenger Traffic 2012(a)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 EU and Other International Terminal Passenger Traffic 2012
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Aircraft Movements 2012
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Aircraft Movements 2001
- ↑ Air Transport Movements(a) 2002
- ↑ Air Transport Movements(a) 2003
- ↑ Air Transport Movements(a) 2004
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Air Transport Movements 2010
- ↑ Air Transport Movements 2011
- ↑ Air Transport Movements 2004-2014
- ↑ Air Transport Movements 2004-2014
- ↑ Air Transport Movements 2004-2014
