London Heathrow Airport Information

Airport type	Public
Owner	BAA Limited
Operator	Heathrow Airport Limited
Location	London, England
Hub for	British Airways BMI Virgin Atlantic Airways
Movements	466,393
Passengers	66,036,957

London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow is the largest airport in the United Kingdom. It is the fifth busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic and it handles more international passengers than any other airport in the world. It is also the busiest airport in the European Union in terms of passenger traffic and the second busiest in terms of traffic movements, second to Paris CDG airport in Paris, France. The airport is owned and operated by BAA, who also own and operate five other UK airports, and is itself owned by ADI Limited, an international consortium, which includes Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and GIC Special Investments, that is led by the Spanish Ferrovial Group. Heathrow is a primary hub for BMI, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Located 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) west of Central London, Heathrow has two parallel main runways spanning east-to-west and four operational terminals. The site covers 12.14 square kilometres (4.69 sq mi). Terminal 5 was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 14 March 2008 and opened to passengers on 27 March 2008. Construction of a new Terminal 2 complex to replace the terminal building and adjacent Queen's Building began in 2009; the first phase is expected to open in 2014. Terminals 3 and 4 underwent major refurbishments that began in 2007 and were completed in 2009. In November 2007 a consultation process began for the building of a new third runway and a sixth terminal and it was controversially approved on 15 January 2009 by UK Government ministers. The project was then cancelled on 12 May 2010 by the Cameron Government.

Heathrow Airport has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P527) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.

Location

Heathrow is located 12 NM (22 km; 14 mi) west of central London, near the southern end of the London Borough of Hillingdon. The airport stands on a parcel of land that was designated part of the London Metropolitan Green Belt. To the north, the airport is surrounded by the built-up areas of Harlington, Harmondsworth, Longford and Cranford. To the east are Hounslow and Hatton, and to the south are East Bedfont and Stanwell. To the west, the M25 motorway separates the airport from Colnbrook in Berkshire.

Heathrow today

Heathrow Airport is used by over 90 airlines which fly to 170 destinations worldwide. The airport is the primary hub of BMI, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Of Heathrow's 67 million annual passengers, 11% travel to UK destinations, 43% are short-haul international travellers, and 46% are long-haul. The busiest single destination in terms of passenger numbers is New York, with over 3.7 million passengers travelling between Heathrow and JFK / Newark airports in 2008[23] and 3.5 million in 2009. The airport has five passenger terminals (Terminals 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) and a cargo terminal. Terminal 5 opened to passengers on 27 March 2008 and will be fully completed with the opening of its second satellite building in 2010.

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 was opened in 1968 and was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II in May 1969. In 2005, a substantial redesign and redevelopment of the terminal was completed, which saw the opening of the new Eastern Extension, doubling the departure lounge in size and creating additional seating and retail space. The terminal has an area of 74,601m2. It is home to Heathrow's second largest carrier, bmi, and airlines belonging to the Star Alliance. It is set to be closed and demolished around 2013/14 to enable the construction of the second phase of the new Terminal 2, scheduled for completion in 2019.

Terminal 2 (closed for rebuilding)

Heathrow's next major project will be the construction of a vast, new Terminal 2, of which the first phase will cover an area of 180,000m2. This new home for Star Alliance carriers is expected to open in 2014. A second phase, replacing Terminal 1, will open in 2019.

Traffic and statistics

BAA claim that Heathrow is the "world's busiest international airport", but it is only the world's second-busiest by total passenger traffic, after Atlanta-Hartsfield-Jackson, which is also an international airport. However, Heathrow does have the highest number of international passengers.

In 2008 Heathrow was the busiest airport in Europe in terms of total passenger traffic (13.6% more passengers than at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and 25.6% more than at Frankfurt Airport), but it was third behind Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt in terms of plane movements (12.9% fewer landings and take offs than at Charles de Gaulle, and 2.2% fewer than at Frankfurt). Heathrow was fourth in terms of cargo traffic (after Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol).

Access

Train

* Heathrow Express: a non-stop service directly to London's Paddington station; trains leave every 15 minutes for the 15 minute journey, either from Heathrow Terminal 5 station or Heathrow Central station (Terminals 1, 2, 3).

* Heathrow Connect: a service to Paddington calling at up to five National Rail stations en route - trains leave every 30 minutes for the 25-minute journey. Heathrow Connect services use Heathrow Central station (Terminals 1, 2, 3) and terminate at Terminal 4.

* London Underground Piccadilly line: four tube stations serve the airport - Terminals 1, 2, 3; Terminal 4; Terminal 5 serve the passenger terminals, and Hatton Cross serves the maintenance areas. The standard journey time from the Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3 tube station to Central London is 40–50 minutes.

Bus and coach

Many buses and coaches operate from the large Heathrow airport central bus station serving Terminals 1, 2 and 3, and also from bus stations at Terminals 4 and 5.

Inter-terminal transport

Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are within walking distance of each other. Transport to Terminal 4 is by Heathrow Connect trains or bus and to Terminal 5 is by Heathrow Express trains or bus. On Heathrow Express, Heathrow Connect and local buses (but not on the London Underground) the sections between Heathrow Central, Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 are free of charge.

ULTra Personal Rapid Transport is currently being constructed as a trial shuttling passengers to and from Terminal 5. The initial trial will have 18 pods running. ULTra are small transportation pods that can fit four adults, two children, and their luggage and will be able to carry passengers directly to the terminal. The pods are battery powered and will be initially used on a four kilometre track. If the trial is successful there are plans for a roll out airport wide.

Taxi

Taxis are available at all terminals.

Car

Heathrow is accessible via the nearby M4 motorway and A4 road (Terminals 1–3), the M25 motorway (Terminals 4 and 5), and the A30 road (Terminal 4). There are drop off and pick up areas at all terminals and short and long stay multi-storey car parks. Additionally, there are car parks (not run by BAA) just outside the airport; these are connected to the terminals by shuttle buses.

Future expansion

In January 2009 the Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon announced that the UK government supports the expansion of Heathrow by building a third runway (2200 m) and sixth terminal building.

A plan to make Heathrow an international railway exchange has also been proposed with the potential construction of Heathrow Hub railway station.

In July 2009, Heathrow Airport Limited submitted an application to the Secretary of State for Transport seeking to gain authorisation to develop a new rail link to Heathrow Terminal 5 to be known as Heathrow Airtrack.

London Heathrow Airport links

» London Heathrow Airport Wikipedia Information
» London Heathrow Airport Official Website