London Airport: An International Hub

22 February 2012

The main gateway to the United Kingdom is the London Heathrow Airport, formerly London Airport. In fact, it is the busiest airport in the country and, in 2011, received the third most international passengers in the world of any airport. The airport is located in the London Borough of Hillingdon, which is the westernmost borough of Greater London.

History

The airport was built in 1929. In 1944, the government started developing it into an aerodrome for the Royal Air Force so that it could handle long-distance military aircrafts flying to and from Southeast Asia. However, World War II ended before the aerodrome was completed. So, the government decided to develop it into a civil airport which was opened in 1955 and was named London Airport. The airport continued to use this name until 1966, when the name was changed to London Heathrow Airport. 

London Heathrow Airport Operations

Today, Heathrow is used by 89 different airlines that fly to 176 destinations in 90 countries. The most popular destinations are New York (JFK International Airport), Dubai, Dublin, Amsterdam, and Paris (Charles de Gaulle Airport). There is an average of 180,100 passengers that arrive and depart daily in Heathrow. However, Heathrow is not merely a passenger airport. It also caters to cargo flights. In 2010, 1.47 million metric tons of cargo passed through the airport.

To cope with all the passengers and cargo that pass through the airport, Heathrow has 5 passenger terminals and 1 cargo terminal. Terminal 1, built in 1968, is used solely by BMI while Terminal 5, built in 2008, is used solely by British Airways. Other airlines use either Terminal 3 or 4. In general, Terminal 3, which was built in 1961 handles airlines with long-distance flights, such as Singapore Airlines, while Terminal 4 which was built in 1986 handles Sky Team Alliance members (15 airlines), such as Delta Airlines and Air France. Terminal 2 has recently been demolished, after 60 years of operation. In its place, a new terminal building will be built for Star Alliance (28 airlines). 

Other London Airports

When flying to or from the UK, one has to be careful with the term “London Airport” (airport code: LON) as it may refer to any of these 6 international airports found in and in the vicinity of Greater London:

• London City Airport

• London Gatwick Airport in Crawley, West Sussex

• London Heathrow Airport

• London Luton Airport in Luton, Bedfordshire

• London Stansted Airport in Uttlesford, Essex

• London Southend Airport in Southend-on-Sea, Essex

• London Airport: An International Hub

 

International travelers will be astounded by the airport as it is both large, yet culturally and historically fascinating. Especially if you know your way around London Heathrow Airport!

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