Heathrow was founded asa small airfield in 1930[10] but was developed into a much larger airport afterWorld War II. It lies 14miles (23kilometres) west ofCentral London on a site that covers 4.74 square miles (12.3 square kilometres). It was gradually expanded over 75 years and now has two parallel east–westrunways, four operational passengerterminals and one cargo terminal.[6] The airport is the primary hub forBritish Airways andVirgin Atlantic.
As the airport is located west of London and as its runways run east–west, an aircraft's landing approach is usually directly over theGreater London Urban Area when the wind has a westerly component—as it often has. The airport forms part of atravel to work area consisting of (most of) Greater London, and neighbouring parts of the surroundingHome Counties.[citation needed]
Heathrow Airport began in 1929 as a small airfield (Great West Aerodrome) on land southeast ofthe hamlet of Heathrow from which the airport takes its name. At that time the land consisted of farms,market gardens andorchards; there was a "Heathrow Farm" approximately where the modernTerminal 2 is situated, a "Heathrow Hall" and a "Heathrow House." This hamlet was largely along a country lane (Heathrow Road), which ran roughly along the east and south edges of the present central terminals area.
Development of the whole Heathrow area as a much larger airport began in 1944 duringWorld War II. It was intended for long-distance military aircraft bound for the Far East. By the time some of the airfield's runways were usable, World War II had ended, and the UK Government continued to develop the site as a civil airport. The airport was opened on 25 March 1946 as London Airport. The airport was renamed Heathrow Airport in the last week of September 1966, to avoid confusion with the other two airports which serve London,Gatwick andStansted.[11] The design for the airport was bySir Frederick Gibberd. He set out the original terminals and central-area buildings, including the original control tower and the multi-faith Chapel of St George's.
Heathrow Airport is used by over 89 airlines flying to 214 destinations in 84 countries. The airport is the primaryhub ofBritish Airways and is a base forVirgin Atlantic. It has four passenger terminals (numbered 2 to 5) and a cargo terminal. In 2021 Heathrow served 19.4 million passengers, of which 17 million were international and 2.4 million domestic. The busiest year ever recorded was 2019 when 80.9 million passengers travelled through the airport. Heathrow is the UK's largest port by value with a network of over 218 destinations worldwide. The busiest single destination in passenger numbers is New York, with over threemillion passengers flying between Heathrow and JFK Airport in 2021.[12]
In the 1950s, Heathrow had six runways, arranged in three pairs at different angles in the shape of ahexagram with the permanent passenger terminal in the middle and the older terminal along the north edge of the field; two of its runways would always be within 30° of the wind direction. As the required length for runways has grown, Heathrow now has only two parallel runways running east–west. These are extended versions of the two east–west runways from the original hexagram. From the air, almost all of the original runways can still be seen, incorporated into the present system of taxiways.
North of the northern runway and the former taxiway and aprons, now the site of extensive car parks, is the entrance to the access tunnel and the site of Heathrow's unofficial "gate guardian". For many years the home of a 40% scale model of a British AirwaysConcorde, G-CONC; the site has been occupied by a model of an EmiratesAirbus A380 since 2008.[13]Heathrow Airport hasAnglican,Catholic,Free Church,Hindu,Jewish,Muslim andSikh chaplains. There is amulti-faith prayer room and counselling room in each terminal, in addition toSt. George's Interdenominational Chapel in an underground vault adjacent to the old control tower, where Christian services take place. The chaplains organise and lead prayers at certain times in the prayer room.[14]
The airport has its resident press corps, consisting of six photographers and one TV crew, serving all the major newspapers and television stations around the world.[15]
Most of Heathrow's internal roads’ names are coded by their first letter: N in the north (e.g. Newall Road), E in the east (e.g. Elmdon Road), S in the south (e.g. Stratford Road), W in the west (e.g. Walrus Road), C in the centre (e.g. Camborne Road).
The top cargo export destinations include the United States, China and the United Arab Emirates handling 1.4 million tonnes of cargo in 2022. The top products exported were books, salmon and medicine.[16]
Aircraft destined for Heathrow are usually routed to one offour holding points.Air traffic controllers at Heathrow Approach Control (based inSwanwick, Hampshire) then guide the aircraft to their final approach, merging aircraft from the four holds into a single stream of traffic, sometimes as close as 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 km; 2.9 mi) apart. Considerable use is made ofcontinuous descent approach techniques to minimise the environmental effects of incoming aircraft, particularly at night.[17] Once an aircraft is established on its final approach, control is handed over to Heathrow Tower.
When runway alternation was introduced, aircraft generated significantly more noise on departure than when landing, so a preference for westerly operations during daylight was introduced, which continues to this day.[18] In this mode, aircraft take off towards the west and land from the east over London, thereby minimising the impact of noise on the most densely populated areas. Heathrow's two runways generally operate in segregated mode, whereby landings are allocated to one runway and takeoffs to the other. To further reduce noise nuisance, the use of runways 27R and 27L is swapped at 15:00 each day if the wind is from the west. When landings are easterly there is no alternation; 09L remains the landing runway and 09R the takeoff runway due to the legacy of the now rescindedCranford Agreement, pending taxiway works to allow the roles to be reversed. Occasionally, landings are allowed on the nominated departure runway, to help reduce airborne delays and to position landing aircraft closer to their terminal, reducing taxi times.
Night-time flights at Heathrow are subject torestrictions. Between 23:00 and 04:00, the noisiest aircraft (ratedQC/8 and QC/16) cannot be scheduled for operation. Also, during the night quota period (23:30–06:00) there are four limits:
A limit on the number of flights allowed.
AQuota Count system which limits the total amount of noise permitted, but allows operators to choose to operate fewer noisy aircraft or a greater number of quieter planes.[19]
QC/4 aircraft cannot be scheduled for operation.
A voluntary agreement with the airlines that no early-morning arrivals will be scheduled to land before 04:30.
A trial of "noise-relief zones" ran from December 2012 to March 2013, which concentrated approach flight paths into defined areas compared with the existing paths which were spread out. The zones used alternated weekly, meaning residents in the "no-fly" areas received respite from aircraft noise for set periods.[20] However, it was concluded that some residents in other areas experienced more noise as a consequence of the trial and that it should therefore not be taken forward in its current form. Heathrow received more than 25,000 noise complaints in just three months over the summer of 2016, but around half were made by the same ten people.[21]
In 2017, Heathrow introduced "Fly Quiet & Green", a quarterly published league table (suspended in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic) that awards points to the 50 busiest airlines at the airport, ostensibly based on their performance relative to each other across a range of seven environmental benchmarks, such asNOx emissions.[22] Heathrow has acknowledged, but not attempted to refute, criticism over discrepancies and a lack of transparency over the way in which the figures are calculated.[23] The airport has always refused to publish a breakdown showing how many "Fly Quiet points" each performance benchmark has contributed towards the total score it awards to an airline, thereby putting obstacles in the way of any independent auditing of the published results.[24] Among other criticisms of the league table are the unexplained omission of some of the poorer performers among the 50 busiest airlines[25] and the emphasis on relative rather than absolute performance,[26] so an airline could well improve its "Fly Quiet" score quarter-on-quarter even if its environmental performance had in fact worsened over the period. In October 2024, Heathrow finally reinstated the programme, rebadged as “Fly Quieter & Greener”. Two more environmental benchmarks were added to the previous seven, but in all other respects the aforementioned deficiencies of the original scheme remain.[27]
Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic Heathrow has seen a large increase in cargo-only flights, not only by already established carriers at the airport operating cargo-only flights using passenger aircraft but also by several cargo-only airlines.[28]
Inbound aircraft to London Heathrow Airport typically follow one of several Standard Arrival Routes (STARs). The STARs each terminate at one of four differentVOR installations, and these also define four "stacks"[29] where aircraft can beheld if necessary until they are cleared to begin their approach to land. Stacks are sections ofairspace where inbound aircraft will normally use the pattern closest to their arrival route. They can be visualised as ahelix in the sky. Each stack descends in 1,000 feet (305 m) intervals from 16,000 feet (4,877 m) down to 8,000 feet (2,438 m). Aircraft hold between 7,000 and 15,000 feet (2,134 and 4,572 m) at 1,000-foot intervals. If these holds become full, aircraft are held at more distant points before being cleared onward to one of the four main holds.[citation needed]
The following four stacks are currently in place:[citation needed]
The Bovingdon stack is for arrivals from the northwest. It extends above the village ofBovingdon and the town ofChesham, and uses the VOR BNN ("Bovingdon"), which is situated on the formerRAF Bovingdon airfield.
TheBiggin Hill stack on the southeast edge of Greater London is for arrivals from the southeast. It uses the VOR BIG ("Biggin"), which is situated onLondon Biggin Hill Airport.
TheLambourne stack in Essex is for arrivals from the northeast. It uses the VOR LAM ("Lambourne"), which is situated adjacent toStapleford Aerodrome.
TheOckham stack in Surrey is for arrivals from the southwest. It uses the VOR OCK ("Ockham"), which is situated on the formerWisley Airfield.
In high-traffic situations, air traffic controllers can opt to use a number of RNAV STARs either to send traffic to a non-standard stack or to move traffic from one stack to another. These are not allowed to be used for flight planning and will be assigned by ATC tactically.[citation needed]
In September 2012, theBritish government established theAirports Commission, an independent commission chaired bySir Howard Davies to examine various options for increasing capacity at UK airports. In July 2015, the commission backed a third runway at Heathrow, which the government approved in October 2016.[30][31][32] However, theCourt of Appeal rejected this plan, on the basis that the government failed to considerclimate change and theenvironmental impact of aviation.[33] On 16 December 2020, theUK Supreme Court lifted the ban on the third runway expansion, allowing the construction plan to go ahead.[34] On February 12th 2025 - after recieving the government's backing for a third runway, Heathrow published a statement[35] confirming the plans, and suggesting that full details will be published in Summer 2025.
Until it was required to sell Gatwick and Stansted Airports, Heathrow Airport Holdings, owned mostly byFGP andQatar Investment Authority andCDPQ[7] held a dominant position in the London aviation market and has been heavily regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as to how much it can charge airlines to land. The annual increase inlanding charge per passenger was capped at inflation minus 3% until 1 April 2003. From 2003 to 2007 charges increased by inflation plus 6.5% per year, taking the fee to £9.28 per passenger in 2007. In March 2008, the CAA announced that the charge would be allowed to increase by 23.5% to £12.80 from 1 April 2008 and by inflation plus 7.5% for each of the following four years.[36] In April 2013, the CAA announced a proposal for Heathrow to charge fees calculated by inflation minus 1.3%, continuing until 2019.[37] Whilst the charges for landing at Heathrow are determined by the CAA and Heathrow Airport Holdings, the allocation oflanding slots to airlines is carried out by Airport Co-ordination Limited (ACL).[38]
Until 2008, air traffic between Heathrow and the United States was strictly governed by the countries' bilateralBermuda II treaty. The treaty originally allowed only British Airways,Pan Am andTWA to fly from Heathrow to designated gateways in the US. In 1991, Pan Am and TWA sold their rights toUnited Airlines andAmerican Airlines respectively, while Virgin Atlantic was added to the list of airlines allowed to operate on these routes. The Bermuda II Air Service Agreement was superseded by a new "open skies" agreement that was signed by the United States and theEuropean Union on 30 April 2007 and came into effect on 30 March 2008. Shortly afterwards, additional US airlines, includingNorthwest Airlines,Continental Airlines,US Airways andDelta Air Lines started services to Heathrow after previously having to useGatwick Airport. FollowingBrexit, the US and UK signed a new US-UK Air Transport Agreement in November 2020 incorporating the essential elements of Open Skies, which came into effect in March 2021.[39]
The airport was criticised in 2007 for overcrowding and delays;[40] according to Heathrow Airport Holdings, Heathrow's facilities were originally designed to accommodate 55million passengers annually. The number of passengers using the airport reached a record 70million in 2012.[41] In 2007 the airport was voted the world's least favourite, alongsideChicago O'Hare, in aTripAdvisor survey.[42] However, the opening of Terminal 5 in 2008 has relieved some pressure on terminal facilities, increasing the airport's terminal capacity to 90million passengers per year. A tie-up is also in place with McLaren Applied Technologies to optimise the general procedure, reducing delays and pollution.[43]
With only two runways operating at over 98% of their capacity, Heathrow has little room for more flights, although the use of larger aircraft such as the Airbus A380 has allowed some increase in passenger numbers. It is difficult for existing airlines to obtain landing slots to enable them to increase their services from the airport, or for new airlines to start operations.[44] To increase the number of flights, Heathrow Airport Holdings has proposed using the existing two runways in 'mixed mode' whereby aircraft would be allowed to take off and land on the same runway. This would increase the airport's capacity from its current 480,000 movements per year to as many as 550,000 according to former British Airways CEOWillie Walsh.[45] Heathrow Airport Holdings has also proposed building a third runway to the north of the airport, which would significantly increase traffic capacity.[46]
Policing of the airport is the responsibility of theaviation security, a unit of theMetropolitan Police, althoughthe British Army, including armoured vehicles of theHousehold Cavalry, has occasionally been deployed at the airport during periods of heightened security.[47]Full body scanners are now used at the airport, and passengers who refuse to use them are required to submit to a hand search in a private room.[48] The scanners display passengers' bodies as cartoon figures, with indicators showing where concealed items may be.[48]
For many decades Heathrow had a reputation for theft from baggage by baggage handlers. This led to the airport being nicknamed "Thiefrow", with periodic arrests of baggage handlers.[49][50]
Following the widespread disruption caused by reports ofdrone sightings at Gatwick Airport, and a subsequent incident at Heathrow, a drone-detection system was installed airport-wide to attempt to combat disruption caused by the illegal use of drones.[51][52]
The airport's newest terminal, officially known as the Queen's Terminal, was opened on 4 June 2014 and has 24 gates.[53][54] Designed by Spanish architectLuis Vidal, it was built on the site that had been occupied by the original Terminal 2 and the Queens Building.[55][56] The main complex was completed in November 2013 and underwent six months of testing before opening to passengers. It includes a satellite pier (T2B), a 1,340-space car park, and a cooling station to generate chilled water. There are 52 shops and 17 bars and restaurants.[57]
Flights using Terminal 2 primarily originate from northern Europe or western Europe. It is primarily used byStar Alliance airlines (consolidating the airlines under Star Alliance's co-location policy "Move Under One Roof"). The terminal is also used by a few non-aligned airlines. Terminal 2 is one of the two terminals that operate UK domestic and Irish flights. AlthoughScandinavian Airlines is now part of theSkyTeam alliance as of 1 September, 2024, it still uses Terminal 2.
The original Terminal 2 opened as the Europa Building in 1955 and was the airport's oldest terminal. It had an area of 49,654 m2 (534,470 sq ft) and was designed to handle around 1.2million passengers annually. In its final years, it accommodated up to 8million. A total of 316million passengers passed through the terminal in its lifetime. The building was demolished in 2010, along with theQueens Building which had housed airline company offices.[59]
Terminal 3 opened as the Oceanic Terminal on 13 November 1961 to handle flight departures for long-haul routes for foreign carriers to the United States and Asia.[60] At this time the airport had a direct helicopter service to central London from the gardens on the roof of the terminal building. Renamed Terminal 3 in 1968, it was expanded in 1970 with the addition of an arrivals building. Other facilities added included the UK's firstmoving walkways. In 2006, the new £105million Pier 6 was completed[61] to accommodate theAirbus A380 superjumbo;Emirates andQantas operate regular flights from Terminal 3 using the Airbus A380.
Redevelopment of Terminal 3's forecourt by the addition of a new four-lane drop-off area and a large pedestrianised plaza, complete with a canopy to the front of the terminal building, was completed in 2007. These improvements were intended to improve passengers' experience, reduce traffic congestion and improve security.[62] As part of this project,Virgin Atlantic was assigned its dedicated check-in area, known as 'Zone A', which features a large sculpture and atrium.
As of 2013[update], Terminal 3 has an area of 98,962 m2 (1,065,220 sq ft) with 28 gates, and in 2011 it handled 19.8million passengers on 104,100flights.[63]
Opened in 1986, Terminal 4 has 22 gates.[64] It is situated to the south of the southern runway next to the cargo terminal and is connected to Terminals 2 and 3 by theHeathrow Cargo Tunnel. The terminal has an area of 105,481 m2 (1,135,390 sq ft) and is now home to theSkyTeam alliance; exceptScandinavian Airlines which uses Terminal 2, andChina Airlines,Aeroméxico,Delta Air Lines,Middle East Airlines, andVirgin Atlantic which use Terminal 3. This terminal is also the base for several Oneworld carriers such asMalaysia Airlines,Qatar Airways, andRoyal Air Maroc, besides few unaffiliated carriers such asEtihad Airways,Gulf Air, andRoyal Brunei Airlines. It has undergone a £200million upgrade to enable it to accommodate 45airlines with an upgraded forecourt to reduce traffic congestion and improve security. Most flights using Terminal 4 are those from/to East Europe, Central Asia, North Africa and the Middle East as well as a few flights from/to Europe. An extended check-in area with renovated piers and departure lounges and a new baggage system were installed, and four new stands were built to accommodate the Airbus A380;Qatar Airways operates regular A380 flights.
Terminal 5 lies between the northern and southern runways at the western end of the Heathrow site and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 14 March 2008,[65] 19 years after its inception; then it opened to the public on 27 March 2008. British Airways and its partner company Iberia have exclusive use of this terminal, which has 50gates,[citation needed] including three hardstands. The first passenger to enter Terminal 5 was a UKex-pat from Kenya who passed through security at 04:30 on the day. He was presented with a boarding pass by British Airways CEO Willie Walsh for the first departing flight, BA302 to Paris. During the two weeks after its opening, operations were disrupted by problems with the terminal's IT systems, coupled with insufficient testing and staff training, which caused over 500 flights to be cancelled.[66]
Terminal 5 is exclusively used by British Airways as its global hub. However, because of the merger, between 25 March 2012 and 12 July 2022,Iberia's operations at Heathrow were moved to the terminal, making it the home ofInternational Airlines Group.[67] On 12 July 2022, Iberia's flight operations were moved back to Terminal 3. On 7 July 2020,American moved to Terminal 5, to allow for easier connections from American's transatlantic flights to British Airways flights during the pandemic.China Southern Airlines used Terminal 5 due to the pandemic until it was relocated to Terminal 4 in November 2022.
Built for £4.3billion, the terminal consists of a four-story main terminal building (Concourse A) and two satellite buildings linked to the main terminal by an undergroundpeople mover transit system. Concourse A is dedicated to British Airways's narrowbody fleet for flights around the UK and the rest of Europe, the first satellite (Concourse B) includes dedicated stands for BA and Iberia's widebody fleet except for the Airbus A380, and the second satellite (Concourse C), includes 7 dedicated aircraft stands for the A380. It became fully operational on 1 June 2011. Terminal 5 was votedSkytrax World's Best Airport Terminal 2014 in the Annual World Airport Awards.[68]
The main terminal building (Concourse A) has an area of 300,000 square metres (3,200,000 sq ft) while Concourse B covers 60,000 square metres (650,000 sq ft).[69] It has 60 aircraft stands and capacity for 30million passengers annually as well as more than 100shops and restaurants.[70] It is also home to British Airways' Flagship lounge, the Concorde Room, alongside four further British Airways branded lounges.[71] One of those lounges is the British Airways Arrivals Lounge which is located land-side.
A further building, designated Concourse D and of similar size to Concourse C, may yet be built to the east of the existing site, providing up to another 16stands. Following British Airways' merger withIberia, this may become a priority since the combined business will require accommodation at Heathrow under one roof to maximise the cost savings envisaged under the deal. A proposal for Concourse D was featured in Heathrow's Capital Investment Plan 2009.
The transport network around the airport has been extended to cope with the increase in passenger numbers. New branches of both theHeathrow Express and the Underground's Piccadilly line serve a new sharedHeathrow Terminal 5 station. A dedicatedmotorway spur links the terminal to the M25 (between junctions 14 and 15). The terminal has 3,800spacesmulti-storey car park. A more distant long-stay car park for business passengers is connected to the terminal by apersonal rapid transit system, theHeathrow Pod, which became operational in the spring of 2011.[72] Anautomated people mover (APM) system, known as theTransit, transports airside passengers between the main terminal building and the satellite concourses.[73]
Oneworld (except Iberia, Malaysia Airlines, Royal Air Maroc and Qatar Airways),British Airways (some destinations),Virgin Atlantic and several non-aligned airlines
SkyTeam (except Aeroméxico, China Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Middle East Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines and Virgin Atlantic) as well as most non-aligned airlines
Following the opening of Terminal 5 in March 2008, a complex programme of terminal moves was implemented. This saw many airlines move to be grouped in terminals byairline alliance as far as possible.[75]
Following the opening of Phase 1 of the new Terminal 2 in June 2014, all Star Alliance member airlines[76] (with the exception of new memberAir India which moved in early 2017[77]) along with Aer Lingus and Germanwings relocated to Terminal 2 in a phased process completed on 22 October 2014. Additionally, by 30 June 2015 all airlines left Terminal 1 in preparation for its demolition to make room for the construction of Phase 2 of Terminal 2.[78] Some other airlines made further minor moves at a later point, e.g.Delta Air Lines merging all departures in Terminal 3 instead of a split between Terminals 3 and 4.[79] Iberia moved to Terminal 5 on 1 June 2023.[80]
Heathrow Airport has four terminals with a total of 115 gates, 66 of which can support wide-body aircraft and 24 gates that can support anAirbus A380. Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Heathrow's services were sharply reduced. It announced that as of 6 April 2020, the airport would be transitioning to single-runway operations and that it would be temporarily closing Terminals 3 and 4, moving all remaining flights into Terminals 2 or 5.[81] Dual runway operations were restored in August 2020. Heathrow returned to single-runway operations on 9 November 2020. On 11 December 2020, Heathrow announced Terminal 4 would be shut until the end of 2021.[82] Terminal 4 was used sporadically during 2021 forred list passengers who would be subject to mandatory hotel quarantine.[83] Terminal 3 was reopened for use by Virgin Atlantic and Delta on 15 July 2021, and Terminal 4 was reopened to normal operations on 14 June 2022.[84][85]
Terminal 1 opened in 1968 and was inaugurated byQueen Elizabeth II in April 1969.[86][87] Terminal 1 was the Heathrow base for British Airways' domestic and European network and a few of its long haul routes before Terminal 5 opened. The acquisition ofBritish Midland International (BMI) in 2012 by British Airways' ownerInternational Airlines Group meant British Airways took over BMI's short-haul and medium-haul destinations from the terminal.[88] Terminal 1 was also the main base for mostStar Alliance members though some were also based at Terminal 3. Prior to the opening of Terminal 5, all domestic andCommon Travel Area departures and arrivals needed to use Terminal 1, which had separate departure piers for these flights.
Terminal 1 closed at the end of June 2015, and the site is now being used to extend Terminal 2[89] which opened in June 2014. A number of the newer gates used by Terminal 1 were built as part of the Terminal 2 development and are being retained.[90][91] The last tenants along withBritish Airways wereEl Al,Icelandair (moved to Terminal 2 on 25 March 2015) andLATAM Brasil (the third to move in to Terminal 3 on 27 May 2015). British Airways was the last operator in Terminal 1. Two flights of this carrier, one departing toHanover and one arriving fromBaku, marked the terminal closure on 29 June 2015. British Airways operations have been relocated to Terminals 3 and 5.[92]
In 2020, Heathrow's passenger numbers dropped sharply by over 72%, (a decrease of 58million travellers compared to 2019), due to the impact caused by restrictions and/or bans on travel caused by the globalCOVID-19 pandemic. More than four million passengers travelled on domestic and international flights in and out of Heathrow in March 2023, meaning it was once again the busiest airport in Europe after falling to the second spot in November 2022.[235]
On 29 November 2024, it was reported that Heathrow Airport is testing the usage of an artificial intelligence-based system known as Amy, to assist air controllers in managing the airport. The system, which relies heavily on the efficiency of coordination, is capable of tracking aircraft across a wide airspace with the combination of radar and video data collected from the ground.[236]
TheCompass Centre, the head office of Heathrow Airport Holdings
The head office ofHeathrow Airport Holdings (formerly BAA Limited) is located in theCompass Centre by Heathrow's northern runway, a building that previously served as a British Airways flight crew centre.[240] The World Business Centre Heathrow consists of three buildings. 1 World Business Centre houses offices of Heathrow Airport Holdings, Heathrow Airport itself, andScandinavian Airlines.[241] PreviouslyInternational Airlines Group had its head office in 2 World Business Centre.[242][243]
At one time the British Airways head office was located within Heathrow Airport at Speedbird House[244] before the completion ofWaterside, the current BA head office inHarmondsworth, in June 1998.[245]
To the north of the airfield lies the Northern Perimeter Road, along which most of Heathrow's car rental agencies are based, and Bath Road, which runs parallel to it, but outside the airport campus.
Heathrow Express: a non-stop service direct toLondon Paddington; trains leave every 15 minutes for the 15-minute journey (21 minutes to and from Terminal 5). Trains depart fromHeathrow Terminal 5 station orHeathrow Central station (Terminals 2 & 3). There is a free transfer service between Terminal 4 and Heathrow Central to connect with services from London and Terminal 5.
Elizabeth line: a stopping service toAbbey Wood andShenfield viaPaddington and central London – 6 trains per hour, two originating from Terminal 5 and four originating from Terminal 4.[246] Calls atHayes & Harlington for connecting trains toReading. Scheduled journey time into Central London is around 35 minutes.
Many bus and coach services operate fromHeathrow Central bus station, which serves Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. Services also operate from the bus stations located at Terminal 4 and Terminal 5.
Terminals 2 and 3 are within walking distance of each other. Transfers from Terminals 2 and 3 to Terminals 4 and 5 are provided byElizabeth line andHeathrow Express trains and theLondon UndergroundPiccadilly line.[248] Direct transfer between Terminals 4 and 5 is provided for free by route H30, introduced by Diamond Buses on 1 December 2022.[249]
Transit passengers remainingairside are provided with free dedicated transfer buses between terminals. These use dedicated airside tunnels (Heathrow Cargo Tunnel between Terminals 2/3 and 4,Heathrow Airside Road Tunnel between Terminals 2/3 and 5) to minimise disruption to aircraft operations.
TheHeathrow Podpersonal rapid transit system shuttles passengers between Terminal 5 and the business car park using 21 small, driverless transportation pods. The pods are battery-powered and run on-demand on a four-kilometre track, each able to carry up to four adults, two children, and their luggage.[250] Plans exist to extend the Pod system to connect Terminals 2 and 3 to remote car parks.[251]
Some hotels are directly connected to the terminals, and therefore are walkable without any transfers. Many more hotels are easily accessible using the local buses which depart from all terminals.
TheHotel Hoppa bus network also connects all terminals to major hotels in the area.[254]
Heathrow is accessible via the nearbyM4 motorway orA4 road (Terminals 2–3), theM25 motorway (Terminals 4 and 5) and theA30 road (Terminal 4). There are drop-off and pick-up areas at all terminals and short-[256] and long-stay[257] multi-storey car parks. All the Heathrow forecourts are drop-off only.[258] There are further car parks, not run by Heathrow Airport Holdings, just outside the airport: the most recognisable is theNational Car Parks facility, although there are many other options; these car parks are connected to the terminals by shuttle buses.
Four parallel tunnels under the northern runway connect the M4 Heathrow spur and the A4 road to Terminals 2–3. The two larger tunnels are each two lanes wide and are used for motorised traffic. The two smaller tunnels were originally reserved for pedestrians and bicycles; to increase traffic capacity the cycle lanes have been modified to each take a single lane of cars, although bicycles still have priority over cars.[citation needed] Pedestrian access to the smaller tunnels has been discontinued, with the free bus services being used instead.
There are (mainly off-road) bicycle routes to some of the terminals.[259] Free bicycle parking places are available in car parks 1 and 1A, at Terminal 4, and to the North and South of Terminal 5's Interchange Plaza. Cycling is not currently allowed through the main tunnel to access the central area and Terminals 2 and 3.[260]
On 3 March 1948, a SabenaDouglas DC-3 (registration: OO-AWH) crashed in fog. Three crew and 19 of the 22 passengers on board died.[261]
On 31 October 1950, aBEAVickers Viking (registration: G-AHPN) crashed at Heathrow after hitting the runway during a go-around. Three crew and 25 passengers died.[262]
On 16 January 1955, aBEAVickers Viscount (registered as G-AMOK) crashed into barriers whilst taking off in the fog from a disused runway strip parallel to the desired runway. There were two injuries.[263]
On 22 June 1955, aBOACde Havilland Dove (registration: G-ALTM) crashed just short of the runway during a filming flight when the pilot shut down the incorrect engine. There were no casualties.[264]
On 1 October 1956, XA897, anAvro Vulcan strategic bomber of theRoyal Air Force,crashed at Heathrow after an approach in bad weather. The Vulcan was the first to be delivered to the RAF and was returning from a demonstration flight to Australia and New Zealand. The pilot and co-pilot ejected and survived, but the four other occupants were killed.[265]
On 7 January 1960, a Vickers Viscount (registration: G-AOHU) of BEA was damaged beyond economic repair when the nose wheel collapsed on landing. A fire then developed and burnt out the fuselage. There were no casualties among the 59 people on board.[266]
On 27 October 1965, a BEAVickers Vanguard (registration: G-APEE), flying from Edinburgh, crashed on Runway 28R while attempting to land in poor visibility. All 30 passengers and six crew on board died.[267][268]
On 8 April 1968,BOAC Flight 712Boeing 707 (registration: G-ARWE), departing for Australia via Singapore, suffered an engine fire just after take-off. The engine fell from the wing into a nearby gravel pit inStaines, before the plane managed to perform an emergency landing with the wing on fire. However, the plane was consumed by fire once on the ground. Five people – four passengers and a flight attendant – died, while 122 survived. A flight attendant,Barbara Harrison, who helped with the evacuation, was posthumously awarded theGeorge Cross.[269]
On 3 July 1968, the port flap operating rod ofG-AMAD, anAirspeed Ambassador operated by BKS Air Transport failed due to fatigue, thereby allowing the port flaps to retract. This resulted in a rolling movement to the port which could not be controlled during the approach, causing the aircraft to contact the grass and swerve towards the terminal building. It hit two parked British European AirwaysHawker Siddeley Trident aircraft, burst into flames and came to rest against the ground floor of the terminal building. Six of the eight crew died, as did eight horses on board. Trident G-ARPT was written off,[270] and Trident G-ARPI was badly damaged, but subsequently repaired, only to be lost in theStaines crash in 1972.
On 18 June 1972, Trident G-ARPI, operating asBEA548, crashed in a field close to the Crooked Billet Public House, Staines, two minutes after taking off. All 118 passengers and crew on board died.[271]
On 5 November 1997, the pilots ofVirgin Atlantic Flight 024,Airbus A340-311 (registration: G-VSKY), performed an intentionalbelly landing on runway 27L after the left main landing gear jammed in a partially lowered position. Two crew and five passengers suffered minor injuries in the emergency evacuation. Investigators found that a brake torque pin had fallen out of the landing gear on takeoff fromLos Angeles International Airport (LAX) because the pin and its retaining assembly were subject to higher than predicted loads while in service; the precise mode of failure could not be verified because only the pin, and not its retaining hardware, was found at LAX. The aircraft sustained substantial damage but was repaired and placed back in service.[272][273]
On 17 January 2008, a British AirwaysBoeing 777-236ER, (registration: G-YMMM), operatingflight BA038 from Beijing, crash-landed short of runway 27L and stopped on the threshold, leading to 18 minor injuries. The impact tore off the right landing gear and pushed the left landing gear through the wing root; the aircraft was subsequently written off. The accident was attributed to a loss of thrust caused by fuel icing.[274][275]
On 28 September 2022, aKorean Air Boeing 777 preparing to take off collided with anIcelandair Boeing 757 which had just landed. The 777 crew aborted the takeoff; no injuries were reported, but the aircraft suffered minor damage.[276]
On 6 April 2024, the wing of an empty Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 under tow at Terminal 3 clipped a parkedBritish Airways plane preparing to depart from an adjacent gate with 121 passengers on board. The passengers transferred to a different British Airways aircraft and departed several hours later. Heathrow said there were no injuries, but both aircraft sustained damage.[277]
On 6 September 1970,El Al Flight 219 experienced an attempted hijack by twoPFLP members. One hijacker was killed and the other was subdued as the plane made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport.
On 19 May 1974, theIRA planted a series of bombs in the Terminal 1 car park. Two people were injured by the explosions.[279]
On 26 November 1983, theBrink's-Mat robbery occurred, in which 6,800 gold bars worth nearly £26million were taken from a vault near Heathrow. Only a small amount of the gold was recovered and only two men were convicted of the crime.[280]
On 17 April 1986,semtex explosives were found in the bag of a pregnant Irish woman attempting to board anEl Al flight. The explosives had been given to her by her Jordanian boyfriend and the father of her unborn childNizar Hindawi. The incident became known as theHindawi Affair.[281]
On 21 December 1988,Pan Am Flight 103 exploded mid-air over the town of Lockerbie, killing all 259 onboard and eleven people on the ground. The flight originated from Frankfurt as a feeder flight with a change of aircraft at Heathrow and was on its transatlantic leg to New York's JFK airport at the time of the incident. An unaccompanied suitcase containing a boombox radio/cassette player which housed the explosive was checked in at Malta and forwarded as interline baggage for this flight at Frankfurt, wherein it made its way to the transatlantic leg.
In 1994, over six days, Heathrow was targeted three times (8, 10, and 13 March) by theIRA, which fired 12 mortars. Heathrow was a symbolic target due to its importance to the UK economy, and much disruption was caused when areas of the airport were closed over the period. The gravity of the incident was heightened becausethe Queen was being flown back to Heathrow by the RAF on 10 March.[282]
In March 2002, thieves stole US$3million that had arrived on aSouth African Airways flight. Just a few weeks earlier, a similar amount of money was stolen from aBritish Airways flight that arrived from Bahrain.[283]
In February 2003, theBritish Army was deployed to Heathrow along with 1,000 police officers in response to intelligence reports suggesting thatal-Qaeda terrorists might launchsurface-to-air missile attacks at British or American airliners.[284]
On 17 May 2004, Scotland Yard'sFlying Squad foiled an attempt by seven men to steal £40million in gold bullion and a similar quantity of cash from theSwissport warehouse at Heathrow.[285]
On 25 February 2008,Greenpeace activists protesting against the planned construction of a third runway managed to cross the ramp and climb atop a British AirwaysAirbus A320, which had just arrived fromManchester Airport. At about 09:45 GMT the protesters unveiled a "Climate Emergency – No Third Runway" banner over the aircraft'stailfin. By 11:00 GMT four arrests had been made.[286]
In October 2010, an Angolan national was being deported on a British Airways plane. Security guards were heavy-handed with him and they put him in a dangerous position, leading to asphyxia. He did not survive.[287]
On 13 July 2015, thirteen activists belonging to the climate change protest groupPlane Stupid managed to break through the perimeter fence and get onto the northern runway. They chained themselves together in protest, disrupting hundreds of flights. All were eventually arrested.[288][289]
In June 2022, many protesters gathered at Heathrow and Gatwick airports to protest theUK-Rwanda deal. A flight which was supposed to carry asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda was cancelled.[290]
In December 2022, a piece ofuranium metal discovered in the airport triggered a counter-terrorism investigation. It was found in the scrap metal package originated fromPakistan via a passenger flight from Oman on 29 December. It was bound for an Iranian business with premises in the UK.[291]
On 18 December 2010, snowfall (9 cm, according to the Heathrow Winter Resilience Enquiry)[292] caused the closure of the entire airport, causing one of the largest incidents at Heathrow of all time. Some 4,000 flights were cancelled over five days and 9,500 passengers spent the night at Heathrow on 18 December following the initial snowfall.[293] The problems were caused not only by snow on the runways but also by snow and ice on the 198 parking stands which were all occupied by aircraft.[294]
From 12 September 2019, the climate change campaign group,Heathrow Pause attempted to disrupt flights into and out of Heathrow Airport in London by flyingdrones in the airport's exclusion zone. The action was unsuccessful in disrupting flights and nineteen people were arrested.[298]
There is a long history of expansion proposals for Heathrow since it was first designated as a civil airport. Following the cancellation of theMaplin project in 1974, a fourth terminal was proposed but expansion beyond this was ruled out. However, the Airports Inquiries of 1981–83 and the 1985 Airports Policy White Paper considered further expansion and, following a four-year-long public inquiry in 1995–99, Terminal 5 was approved. In 2003, after many studies and consultations, the Future of Air Transport White Paper was published which proposed a third runway at Heathrow, as well as a second runway at Stansted Airport.[299] In January 2009, the Transport Secretary at the time,Geoff Hoon announced that theBritish government supported the expansion of Heathrow by building a third 2,200-metre (7,200 ft) runway and a sixth terminal building.[300] This decision followed the 2003 white paper on thefuture of air transport in the UK,[301] and a public consultation in November 2007.[302] This was a controversial decision which met with widespread opposition because of the expected greenhouse gas emissions, impact on local communities, as well as noise and air pollution concerns.[303]
Before the2010 general election, the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties announced that they would prevent the construction of any third runway or further material expansion of the airport's operating capacity. The Mayor of London, thenBoris Johnson, took the position that London needs more airport capacity, favouring the construction of an entirelynew airport in theThames Estuary rather than expanding Heathrow.[304] After the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition took power, it was announced that the third runway expansion was cancelled.[305] Two years later, leading Conservatives were reported to have changed their minds on the subject.[306]
Another proposal for expanding Heathrow's capacity was theHeathrow Hub, which aims to extend both runways to a total length of about 7,000 metres and divide them into four so that they each provide two, full-length runways, allowing simultaneous take-offs and landings while decreasing noise levels.[307][308]
In July 2013, the airport submitted three new proposals for expansion to the Airports Commission, which was established to review airport capacity in the southeast of England. The Airports Commission was chaired by Sir Howard Davies. He, at the time of his appointment, was in the employ ofGIC Private Limited (formerly known as Government Investment Corporation of Singapore) and a member of its International Advisory Board. GIC Private Limited was then (2012), as it remains today, one of Heathrow's principal owners. Sir Howard Davies resigned from these positions upon confirmation of his appointment to lead the Airports Commission, although it has been observed that he failed to identify these interests when invited to complete the Airports Commission's register of interests. Each of the three proposals that were to be considered by Sir Howard Davies's commission involved the construction of a third runway, either to the north, northwest or southwest of the airport.[309]
The commission released its interim report in December 2013, shortlisting three options: the north-west third runway option at Heathrow, extending an existing runway at Heathrow, and a second runway atGatwick Airport. After this report was published, the government confirmed that no options had been ruled out for airport expansion in the South-east and that a new runway would not be built at Heathrow before 2015.[310] The full report was published on 1 July 2015, and backed a third, north-west, runway at Heathrow.[311] Reaction to the report was generally adverse, particularly from London Mayor Boris Johnson. One senior Conservative toldChannel 4: "Howard Davies has dumped an utter steaming pile of poo on the Prime Minister's desk."[312] On 25 October 2016, the government confirmed that Heathrow would be allowed to build a third runway; however, a final decision would not be taken until winter of 2017/18, after consultations and government votes. The earliest opening year would be 2025.
On 5 June 2018, the UK Cabinet approved the third runway, with a full vote planned for Parliament.[313] On 25 June 2018, the House of Commons voted, 415–119, in favour of the third runway. The bill received support from most MPs in the Conservative and Labour parties.[314] A judicial review against the decision was launched by four London local authorities affected by the expansion—Wandsworth, Richmond, Hillingdon and Hammersmith and Fulham—in partnership with Greenpeace and London mayorSadiq Khan.[315] Khan previously stated he would take legal action if it were passed by Parliament.[316]
In February 2020, the Court of Appeal ruled that the plans for a third runway were illegal since they did not adequately take into account the government's commitments to theParis climate agreement.[317] However, this ruling was later overturned by the Supreme Court in December 2020.[318] The plan stalled after a fall in passenger numbers during theCOVID pandemic and concerns about investment costs,[319] but came back into the spotlight after theLabour Party won the2024 UK general election. The airport's CEO indicated in November 2024 that he would seek a "final" decision from the government by the end of 2025.[320]
Currently, all rail connections with Heathrow Airport run along an east–west alignment to and from central London, and a number of schemes have been proposed over the years to develop new rail transport links with other parts of London and with stations outside the city.[321] This mainline rail service has been extended with the opening of the Elizabeth Line.
Among other schemes that have been considered is a rapid transport link between Heathrow and Gatwick Airports, known asHeathwick, which would allow the airports to operate jointly as anairline hub;[327][328] In 2018, the Department for Transport began to invite proposals for privately funded rail links to Heathrow Airport.[329] Projects being considered under this initiative include:
^Copps, Alan (30 September 1966)."Airport News: Flights May Be Halted by Pay Freeze Row".Middlesex Chronicle. p. 8 – viaNewspapers.com.BAA this week announced their intention to revive the name Heathrow as the official title of the airport. This, they say, is being done to avoid confusion with the other two airports which serve London, Gatwick and Stansted. In future, they will refer to what is now known as London Airport as Heathrow Airport-London.
^During periods of westerly operation, aircraft continue to fly in a westerly direction with an easterly tailwind component of up to 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph), if the runway is dry and there is no significant crosswind.
^"Noise limits". Heathrow Airport.Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved27 January 2013.
^"World Airline Directory."Flight International. 26 March – 1 April 1997.58Archived 6 March 2012 at theWayback Machine. "Speedbird House, PO Box 10, London Heathrow Airport, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW6 2JA, UK."
^Transport for London free maps 'London Cycling Guide 6' covers Terminals 1, 2 & 3 while 'London Cycling Guide 9' covers Terminal 4 (as of the June 2007 revision).
^"Extinction Rebellion co-founder arrested at Heathrow protest".The Guardian. 14 September 2019.Archived from the original on 15 September 2019. Retrieved14 September 2019.Despite the minimal disruption, Heathrow Pause said it is happy about the "conversation" triggered by its action.
^Le Blond, Paul (2018).Inside London's Airports Policy: Indecision, decision and counter-decision. London: ICE Publishing.ISBN9780727763655.
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