Heathrow Airport: Difference between revisions
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Whilst the cost of landing at Heathrow is determined by the CAA and BAA, the allocation of [[landing slots]] to airlines is carried out by Airport Co-ordination Limited (ACL).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baa.com/assets/Internet/BAA%20Airports/Downloads/Static%20files/Economic_Regulation.pdf |title=Economic Regulation of Heathrow and Gatwick Airports 2008–2013 |date=11 March 2008 |publisher=Civil Aviation Authority |accessdate=7 May 2011}}</ref> |
Whilst the cost of landing at Heathrow is determined by the CAA and BAA, the allocation of [[landing slots]] to airlines is carried out by Airport Co-ordination Limited (ACL).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baa.com/assets/Internet/BAA%20Airports/Downloads/Static%20files/Economic_Regulation.pdf |title=Economic Regulation of Heathrow and Gatwick Airports 2008–2013 |date=11 March 2008 |publisher=Civil Aviation Authority |accessdate=7 May 2011}}</ref> |
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According to BAA, Heathrow's facilities were originally designed to accommodate 55 million passengers annually. With this number currently approaching 70 million, the airport has been criticised in recent years for its overcrowding and delays,<ref name="Ref_2007">{{Cite news|title=BA boss joins attack on Heathrow|publisher=BBC |date=1 August 2007|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6926150.stm|accessdate=28 October 2007}}</ref> and in 2007 the airport was voted the world's least favourite alongside [[O'Hare International Airport|Chicago O'Hare]] in a [[TripAdvisor]] survey.<ref name="Millward2007">{{Cite news|title=Heathrow voted world's least favourite airport|work=The Daily Telegraph |location=UK |date=30 October 2007|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml?xml=/travel/2007/10/30/et-airport-130.xml|accessdate=30 October 2007 | first=David | last=Millward}}</ref> However, the opening of Terminal 5 in 2008 has relieved some pressure on terminal facilities, increasing the airport's terminal capacity to 90 million passengers a year. |
According to BAA, Heathrow's facilities were originally designed to accommodate 55 million passengers annually. With this number currently approaching 70 million, the airport has been criticised in recent years for its overcrowding and delays,<ref name="Ref_2007">{{Cite news|title=BA boss joins attack on Heathrow|publisher=BBC |date=1 August 2007|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6926150.stm|accessdate=28 October 2007}}</ref> and in 2007 the airport was voted the world's least favourite alongside [[O'Hare International Airport|Chicago O'Hare]] in a [[TripAdvisor]] survey.<ref name="Millward2007">{{Cite news|title=Heathrow voted world's least favourite airport|work=The Daily Telegraph |location=UK |date=30 October 2007|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml?xml=/travel/2007/10/30/et-airport-130.xml|accessdate=30 October 2007 | first=David | last=Millward}}</ref> However, the opening of Terminal 5 in 2008 has relieved some pressure on terminal facilities, increasing the airport's terminal capacity to 90 million passengers a year. A tie-up is also in place with McLaren Applied Technologies in order to optimize the general procedure reducing delays and pollution<ref>{{Cite news|title=Aerei al pit-stop come in F1: il software della McLaren ottimizza Heathrow|work=F1WEB.it|date=30 January 2012|url=http://www.f1web.it/?p=11649|accessdate=5 February2012}}</ref>. |
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With only two runways operating at over 98% of their capacity, Heathrow has little room for more flights, although the increasing use of larger aircraft such as the Airbus A380 will allow 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.<ref name="Airport2002">{{Cite journal|author=Airport CoOrdination Ltd|title=Submission to the CAA Regarding Peak Periods at Heathrow|month=February|year=2002|url=http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/5/ergdocs/baajan03/acl2baajan03.pdf|accessdate=13 January 2008|format=PDF}}</ref> In order to increase the number of flights, BAA have proposed using the existing two runways in 'mixed mode' whereby aircraft would be allowed to take-off and land on the same runway.<ref name="Ref_s">{{cite web|title=BAA Heathrow: Mixed mode|publisher=BAA|url=http://www.heathrowairport.com/portal/page/General/Heathrow%5EGeneral%5EOur+business+and+community%5EFuture+growth%5EMixed+mode/1c8851dcd7423110VgnVCM10000036821c0a____/448c6a4c7f1b0010VgnVCM200000357e120a____/|accessdate=11 November 2007}}</ref> This would increase the airport's capacity from its current 480,000 movements per year to as many as 550,000 according to British Airways CEO [[Willie Walsh (Irish businessman)|Willie Walsh]].<ref name="Ref_t">{{cite web|url=http://www.uk-airport-news.info/heathrow-airport-news-161206a.htm|title=BA pushes for 'mixed mode' at Heathrow|publisher=UK-Airport-News.info|accessdate=31 May 2008}}</ref> BAA also proposed building a third runway to the north of the airport, which would have significantly increased traffic capacity (see [[#Future expansion|Future expansion]] below).<ref name="Webster2007">{{Cite news|title=Heathrow is defeated in its attempt to ban environmental campaigners|work=The Times|date=7 August 2007|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2211142.ece|accessdate=9 August 2007 | location=London | first=Ben | last=Webster}}</ref> |
With only two runways operating at over 98% of their capacity, Heathrow has little room for more flights, although the increasing use of larger aircraft such as the Airbus A380 will allow 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.<ref name="Airport2002">{{Cite journal|author=Airport CoOrdination Ltd|title=Submission to the CAA Regarding Peak Periods at Heathrow|month=February|year=2002|url=http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/5/ergdocs/baajan03/acl2baajan03.pdf|accessdate=13 January 2008|format=PDF}}</ref> In order to increase the number of flights, BAA have proposed using the existing two runways in 'mixed mode' whereby aircraft would be allowed to take-off and land on the same runway.<ref name="Ref_s">{{cite web|title=BAA Heathrow: Mixed mode|publisher=BAA|url=http://www.heathrowairport.com/portal/page/General/Heathrow%5EGeneral%5EOur+business+and+community%5EFuture+growth%5EMixed+mode/1c8851dcd7423110VgnVCM10000036821c0a____/448c6a4c7f1b0010VgnVCM200000357e120a____/|accessdate=11 November 2007}}</ref> This would increase the airport's capacity from its current 480,000 movements per year to as many as 550,000 according to British Airways CEO [[Willie Walsh (Irish businessman)|Willie Walsh]].<ref name="Ref_t">{{cite web|url=http://www.uk-airport-news.info/heathrow-airport-news-161206a.htm|title=BA pushes for 'mixed mode' at Heathrow|publisher=UK-Airport-News.info|accessdate=31 May 2008}}</ref> BAA also proposed building a third runway to the north of the airport, which would have significantly increased traffic capacity (see [[#Future expansion|Future expansion]] below).<ref name="Webster2007">{{Cite news|title=Heathrow is defeated in its attempt to ban environmental campaigners|work=The Times|date=7 August 2007|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2211142.ece|accessdate=9 August 2007 | location=London | first=Ben | last=Webster}}</ref> |
Revision as of 16:15, 5 February 2012
London Heathrow Airport | |||||||||||||||
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File:Heathrow Airport logo.png | |||||||||||||||
Summary | |||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
Owner | BAA Limited | ||||||||||||||
Operator | Heathrow Airport Limited | ||||||||||||||
Location | Hillingdon, London, United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||
Hub for | |||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 83 ft / 25 m | ||||||||||||||
Website | www.heathrowairport.com | ||||||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Statistics (2011+2010) | |||||||||||||||
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London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow (IATA: LHR, ICAO: EGLL) is a major airport serving London, England. Located in the London Borough of Hillingdon, in West London, Heathrow is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world (as of 2011) in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe.[3] It is also the busiest airport in the EU by passenger traffic and the third busiest in Europe given the number of traffic movements, with a figure surpassed only by Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and Frankfurt Airport.[4] Heathrow is London's main airport, having replaced RAF Northolt, and together with Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City, more than 175 million passengers have travelled in total, making London by far the busiest city airport system in the world.
The airport is owned and operated by BAA Limited, who also own and operate five other UK airports.[5] BAA is owned by ADI Limited, an international consortium led by Ferrovial Group, which also includes Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and GIC Special Investments.[6] Heathrow is a primary hub for BMI and British Airways as well as a base for Virgin Atlantic Airways.
Heathrow lies 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) west[1] of Central London, and has two parallel east–west runways along with four operational terminals on a site that covers 12.14 square kilometres (4.69 sq mi). Terminal 5 was officially dedicated 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 old terminal building and adjacent Queen's Building began in 2009 with the first phase expected to open in 2014.[7] Terminals 3 and 4 underwent major refurbishments between 2007–2009. In November 2007, a consultation process began for the building of a new third runway and a sixth terminal, which was controversially[8] approved on 15 January 2009 by UK Government ministers.[9] The project was subsequently cancelled on 12 May 2010 by the Cameron Government.[10]
The airport holds a Civil Aviation Authority Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P527), which allows flights for public transportation of passengers or for flying instruction.[11]
Location
Heathrow is 12 nmi (22 km; 14 mi) west of central London,[1] near the south end of the London Borough of Hillingdon on a parcel of land that is designated part of the Metropolitan Green Belt. The airport is surrounded by the built-up areas of Harlington, Harmondsworth, Longford and Cranford to the north and by Hounslow and Hatton to the east. To the south lie East Bedfont and Stanwell while to the west Heathrow is separated from Colnbrook in Berkshire by the M25 motorway.
As the airport is west of London and as its runways run east–west, an airliner's landing approach is usually directly over the city of London. Other leading European airports, such as those at Madrid, Frankfurt and Paris, are located north or south of their respective cities to minimise the overflying problem.[citation needed]
Along with Biggin Hill, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Southend and City, Heathrow is one of seven airports serving the London area although only Heathrow, Biggin Hill and City are located within Greater London.
History
- For a chronicled history of Heathrow Airport, see History of London Heathrow Airport.
Heathrow Airport started in 1929 as a small airfield on land southeast of the hamlet of Heathrow (straggling along a road which ran along the east and south edges of the present main terminals area). Development as an aerodrome started in 1944, stated to be for long-distance military aircraft bound for the far east. But by the time the aerodrome was nearing completion, World War 2 had ended. The government decided to once again develop the site, but this time as a civil airport, known as London Airport and later Heathrow.
As result of these developments the name Heathrow, once used only for an out-of-the-way group of farms, is widely known across the world, and occurs in the names of many establishments around the airport, some having no connection with flying, such as the Heathrow Garden Centre in Sipson.
Heathrow today
Heathrow Airport is used by over 90 airlines flying to 170 destinations worldwide. The airport is the primary hub of BMI and British Airways, and is a base for Virgin Atlantic Airways.
Of Heathrow's 67 million annual passengers, 11% are bound for 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[12] and 3.5 million in 2009.[13] The airport has five passenger terminals (Terminals 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) and a cargo terminal.
In the 1950s, Heathrow had six runways, arranged in three pairs at different angles in the shape of a hexagram (i.e. ✡), with the permanent passenger terminal in the centre and the older terminal along the north edge of the field, and two of its runways would always be within 30° of the wind direction. As the required length for runways has grown, Heathrow now has just two parallel runways running east–west.
Policing of the airport is the responsibility of the aviation security unit of the Metropolitan Police, although the army, including armoured vehicles of the Household Cavalry, has occasionally been deployed at the airport during periods of heightened security. Heathrow's reputation for thefts has led to it sometimes being referred to as 'Thiefrow'.[14]
Full body scanners are now used at the airport and passengers who object to their use are not allowed to fly.[15]
Heathrow Airport has Anglican, Catholic, Free Church of Scotland, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh chaplains. There is a multi-faith prayer room and counselling room in each terminal in addition to St. George's Interdenominational Chapel located in an underground bunker adjacent to the old control tower, where Christian services take place. The chaplains organise and lead prayers at certain times in the prayer room.[16]
Heathrow airport has its own resident press corps, consisting of six photographers and one TV crew, serving all the major newspapers and television stations around the world.[17]
Operations
Aircraft destined for Heathrow usually enter its airspace via one of four main reporting points: Bovingdon (BNN) over Hertfordshire, Lambourne (LAM) over Essex, Biggin Hill (BIG) over Bromley and Ockham (OCK) over Surrey.[18] Each is defined by a VOR radio-navigational beacon. When the airport is busy, aircraft orbit in the associated hold patterns. These holding areas lie to the north-west, north-east, south-east and south-west of the London conurbation. Aircraft hold between 7000 feet and 15000 feet at 1000 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.
Air traffic controllers at Heathrow Approach Control (based in Swanwick, 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 of continuous descent approach techniques to minimise the environmental effects of incoming aircraft, particularly at night.[19] Once an aircraft is established on its final approach, control is handed over to Heathrow Tower.
Because aircraft generate significantly more noise on departure than when landing, there is a preference for westerly operations during daylight.[20] In this mode, aircraft depart towards the west and approach 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 arriving aircraft are allocated to one runway and departing aircraft to the other. To further reduce noise nuisance to people beneath the approach and departure routes, the use of runways 27R and 27L is swapped at 15:00 each day if the wind is from the west. When easterly landings are in progress there is no alternation; 09L remains the landing runway and 09R the departure runway due to the Cranford Agreement. Occasionally, landings are allowed on the nominated departure runway, to help reduce airborne delays and to position landing aircraft closer to their terminal, thus reducing taxi times.
Night-time flights at Heathrow are subject to restrictions. Between 23:00 and 07:00, the noisiest aircraft (rated QC/8 and QC/16) cannot be scheduled for operation. In addition, during the night quota period (23:30–06:00) there are three limits:
- A limit on the number of flights allowed;
- A quota 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;[21]
- A voluntary ban on QC/4 aircraft.
Regulation
This section needs to be updated.(April 2010) |
As BAA own Heathrow and Stansted, two of London's major airports (respectively the first and third busiest by passengers in London), they hold a dominant position in the London Aviation market and are heavily regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as to the amounts they charge airlines to land at Heathrow. Until 1 April 2003, the annual increase in landing charge per passenger was capped at inflation minus 3%. 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.[22]
Prior to 2008, Air traffic between Heathrow and the United States was strictly governed by the countries' bilateral Bermuda II treaty. The treaty originally allowed only British Airways, Pan Am and TWA to fly from Heathrow to the US. In 1991, PAA and TWA sold their rights to United Airlines and American Airlines respectively while Virgin Atlantic was added to the list of airlines allowed to operate on these routes. The Bermuda bilateral agreement conflicted with the Right of Establishment of the United Kingdom in terms of its EU membership, and as a consequence the UK was ordered to drop the agreement in 2004. A new "open skies" agreement was signed by the United States and the European Union on 30 April 2007 and came into effect on 30 March 2008. Since then, additional US Airlines including Continental, US Airways and Delta have started services to Heathrow.
Whilst the cost of landing at Heathrow is determined by the CAA and BAA, the allocation of landing slots to airlines is carried out by Airport Co-ordination Limited (ACL).[23]
According to BAA, Heathrow's facilities were originally designed to accommodate 55 million passengers annually. With this number currently approaching 70 million, the airport has been criticised in recent years for its overcrowding and delays,[24] and in 2007 the airport was voted the world's least favourite alongside Chicago O'Hare in a TripAdvisor survey.[25] However, the opening of Terminal 5 in 2008 has relieved some pressure on terminal facilities, increasing the airport's terminal capacity to 90 million passengers a year. A tie-up is also in place with McLaren Applied Technologies in order to optimize the general procedure reducing delays and pollution[26].
With only two runways operating at over 98% of their capacity, Heathrow has little room for more flights, although the increasing use of larger aircraft such as the Airbus A380 will allow 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.[27] In order to increase the number of flights, BAA have proposed using the existing two runways in 'mixed mode' whereby aircraft would be allowed to take-off and land on the same runway.[28] This would increase the airport's capacity from its current 480,000 movements per year to as many as 550,000 according to British Airways CEO Willie Walsh.[29] BAA also proposed building a third runway to the north of the airport, which would have significantly increased traffic capacity (see Future expansion below).[30]
Most of Heathrow's internal roads are initial-letter-coded by area: 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).
Terminals, airlines and destinations
Terminals
Terminal 1
Terminal 1 opened in 1968 and was formally inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in May 1969.[31] Before Terminal 5 opened, Terminal 1 was the base for British Airways' domestic network from Heathrow and for a few of its long haul routes.
In 2005, substantial redesign and redevelopment of the terminal saw the opening of the new Eastern Extension, doubling the size of the departure lounge and creating additional seating as well as retail space. With an area of 74,601m2, the terminal is home to Heathrow's second largest carrier, Star Alliance member BMI, Aer Lingus, and several other Star Alliance airlines. Some of the newer boarding gates used by airlines present in Terminal 1 are numbered in Terminal 2 (i.e. gate 2xx instead of gate 1xx). Those recently built gates will be retained as part of the new Terminal 2 after Terminal 2 officially opens. A temporary connector is in place between the (older) Terminal 1 and these (recently built) gates.
Terminal 1 will be closed and then demolished in around 2013–14,[7] in preparation for construction of the 2nd phase of Terminal 2, scheduled for completion in 2019. There are no plans to re-use the Terminal 1 name.
Terminal 2 (under construction)
Heathrow's current major project is the construction of a vast new Terminal 2. Formerly known as Heathrow East Terminal, the whole project will occupy a site similar in size to that of Terminal 5.
Old Terminal 2
The building previously known as Terminal 2 had been Heathrow's oldest terminal, opening as the Europa Building in 1955, and closing on 23 November 2009.[32] Air France flight AF1881 to Paris was the last flight to depart from the terminal. It had an area of 49,654m2 and in its lifetime saw 316 million passengers pass through its doors. Originally designed to handle around 1.2 million passengers annually, in its final years of operation it often accommodated around 8 million. Despite the best efforts of maintenance staff and various renovations and upgrades over the years, the building became increasingly decrepit and unserviceable and was demolished in the Summer of 2010.[33] The resulting space has been combined with an adjacent area (where the Queen's Building stood until its demolition in 2009) to form the site for the new terminal.
Terminal 3
Terminal 3 opened as The Oceanic Terminal on 13 November 1961 to handle flight departures for long-haul routes.[34] 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 first moving walkways. In 2006, the new £105 million Pier 6 was completed[35] in order to accommodate the Airbus A380 superjumbo; Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Qantas now operate regular flights from Terminal 3 using the Airbus A380. Terminal 3 has an area of 98,962m2. Redevelopment of Terminal 3's forecourt through the addition of a new four lane drop-off area and a large pedestrianised plaza, complete with canopy to the front of the terminal building, was completed in 2007. These improvements were intended to improve passengers' experiences, reduce traffic congestion and improve security. As part of this project, Virgin Atlantic were assigned their own dedicated check-in area, known as 'Zone A', which features a large sculpture and atrium. BAA also has plans for a £1bn upgrade of the rest of the terminal over the next ten years which will include the renovation of aircraft piers and the arrivals forecourt. A new baggage system connecting to Terminal 5 (for British Airways connections) is currently under construction. In addition to the baggage system, the baggage claim hall is also set to undergo changes with dedicated A380 belts and an improved design and layout.[36]
Terminal 4
First opened in 1986, Terminal 4 is situated to the south of the southern runway next to the cargo terminal, and is connected to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 by the Heathrow Cargo Tunnel. The terminal has an area of 105,481m2 and is now home to the SkyTeam alliance as well as some unaffiliated carriers. It has recently undergone a £200m upgrade to enable it to accommodate 45 airlines with an upgraded forecourt to reduce traffic congestion and improve security. An extended check-in area with renovated piers and departure lounges as well as two new stands to accommodate the Airbus A380 have been constructed, and a new baggage system installed.[37]
Terminal 5
Terminal 5 lies between the northern and southern runways at the west end of the Heathrow site, and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 14 March 2008,[38] some 19 years after its inception. Opened to the public on 27 March 2008, the first passenger to enter Terminal 5 was a UK ex-pat from Kenya who passed through security at 04:30 on the day to be presented with a boarding pass by the 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.[39] Terminal 5 is exclusively used by British Airways as their global hub.
Built at a cost of £4.3 billion, the new terminal consists of a four storey main terminal building (Concourse A) and two satellite buildings linked to the main terminal by an underground people mover transit system. The second satellite (Concourse C), includes dedicated aircraft stands for the Airbus A380. It became fully operational on 1 June 2011.
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).[40] It has 60 aircraft stands and capacity for 30 million passengers annually as well as more than 100 shops and restaurants.[41]
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 16 stands. Following British Airways' merger with Iberia, this may become a priority since the newly combined business will require accommodation at Heathrow under one roof in order to maximise the cost savings envisaged under the deal. A proposal for Concourse D featured in Heathrow's most recent capital investment plan.
The transport network around the airport has been extended to cope with the increase in passenger numbers. A dedicated motorway spur links the M25 between junctions 14 and 15 to the terminal, which includes a 3,800 space multi-storey car park. A more distant long-stay car park for business passengers is connected to the terminal by a personal rapid transit system, which became operational in Spring 2011.[42] New branches of both the Heathrow Express and the Underground's Piccadilly Line serve a new shared Heathrow Terminal 5 station.
Airlines and destinations
Airlines | Destinations | Terminal |
---|---|---|
Aegean Airlines | Athens, Larnaca | 1 |
Aer Lingus | Belfast-International, Cork, Dublin, Shannon | 1 |
Aeroflot | Moscow-Sheremetyevo | 4 |
Air Algérie | Algiers | 4 |
Air Astana | Almaty | 4 |
Air Canada | Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Montréal-Trudeau, Ottawa, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver Seasonal: St. John's | 3 |
Air China | Beijing-Capital | 3 |
Air France | Paris-Charles de Gaulle | 4 |
Air India | Delhi, Mumbai | 4 |
Air Malta | Malta | 4 |
Air Mauritius | Mauritius | 4 |
Air New Zealand | Auckland, Hong Kong, Los Angeles | 1 |
Alitalia | Milan-Linate, Rome-Fiumicino | 4 |
All Nippon Airways | Tokyo-Narita | 3 |
American Airlines | Boston, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York-JFK, Raleigh/Durham | 3 |
Arik Air | Abuja, Lagos | 4 |
Asiana Airlines | Seoul-Incheon | 1 |
Austrian Airlines | Vienna | 1 |
Azerbaijan Airlines | Baku | 4 |
Biman Bangladesh Airlines | Dhaka, Dubai | 4 |
BMI | Addis Ababa, Agadir, Almaty, Amman-Queen Alia, Amritsar, Baku, Basel/Mulhouse, Beirut, Belfast-City, Bishkek, Cairo, Casablanca, Damascus, Dammam, Dublin, Edinburgh, Freetown, Jeddah, Khartoum, Manchester, Marrakech, Moscow-Domodedovo, Nice, Riyadh, Tbilisi, Tehran-Imam Khomeini, Tripoli, Vienna, Yerevan Seasonal: Bergen, Stavanger | 1 |
BMI operated by BMI Regional | Aberdeen, Dublin, Hanover, Manchester Seasonal: Bergen, Edinburgh, Stavanger | 1 |
British Airways | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Bucharest-Otopeni, Budapest, Gibraltar, Helsinki, Larnaca, Lisbon, Prague, Singapore, Sydney, Vienna, Warsaw | 3 |
British Airways | Aberdeen, Abu Dhabi, Abuja, Accra, Algiers [ends 24 March 2012], Amsterdam, Athens, Atlanta, Bahrain, Baltimore, Bangalore, Barcelona, Basel/Mulhouse, Beijing-Capital, Berlin-Brandenburg [begins 3 June 2012], Berlin-Tegel [ends 2 June 2012], Bologna [begins 29 April 2012], Boston, Brussels, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Cairo, Calgary, Cape Town, Chennai, Chicago-O'Hare, Copenhagen, Dallas/Fort Worth, Dar es Salaam, Delhi, Denver, Doha, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Entebbe, Frankfurt, Geneva, Glasgow-International, Gothenburg-Landvetter, Grand Cayman, Hamburg, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Houston-Intercontinental, Hyderabad, Istanbul-Atatürk, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kiev-Boryspil, Kuwait, Lagos, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Luanda, Lusaka, Luxembourg, Lyon, Madrid, Manchester, Mexico City, Miami, Milan-Linate, Milan-Malpensa, Montréal-Trudeau, Moscow-Domodedovo, Mumbai, Munich, Muscat, Nairobi, Nassau, New York-JFK, Newark, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nice, Oslo-Gardermoen, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pisa, Providenciales, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, Riyadh, Rome-Fiumicino, St Petersburg, San Diego, San Francisco, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Seattle/Tacoma, Shanghai-Pudong, Sofia, Stockholm-Arlanda, Stuttgart, Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion, Tokyo-Haneda, Tokyo-Narita, Toronto-Pearson, Toulouse, Tripoli [resumes 1 May 2012][43], Vancouver, Venice, Washington-Dulles, Zürich | 5 |
Brussels Airlines | Brussels | 1 |
Bulgaria Air | Sofia | 4 |
Cathay Pacific | Hong Kong | 3 |
China Airlines | Taipei-Taoyuan [ends 25 March 2012] | 4 |
China Eastern Airlines | Shanghai-Pudong | 4 |
China Southern Airlines | Guangzhou [begins 6 June 2012] | 4 |
Croatia Airlines | Zagreb Seasonal: Rijeka, Split | 1 |
Cyprus Airways | Larnaca | 1 |
Delta Air Lines | Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK | 4 |
EgyptAir | Cairo, Luxor, Sharm el-Sheikh | 3 |
El Al | Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion | 1 |
Emirates | Dubai | 3 |
Ethiopian Airlines | Addis Ababa | 3 |
Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi | 4 |
EVA Air | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Taipei-Taoyuan | 3 |
Finnair | Helsinki | 3 |
Germanwings | Cologne/Bonn [begins 25 March 2012], Stuttgart [begins 20 February 2012] | 1 |
Gulf Air | Bahrain | 4 |
Iberia | Madrid | 3 |
Icelandair | Reykjavik-Keflavík | 1 |
Iran Air | Tehran-Imam Khomeini | 3 |
Japan Airlines | Tokyo-Narita | 3 |
Jat Airways | Belgrade | 4 |
Jet Airways | Delhi, Mumbai | 4 |
Kenya Airways | Nairobi | 4 |
Kingfisher Airlines | Delhi, Mumbai | 4 |
KLM | Amsterdam | 4 |
KLM operated by KLM Cityhopper | Amsterdam | 4 |
Korean Air | Seoul-Incheon | 4 |
Kuwait Airways | Kuwait, New York-JFK | 4 |
Libyan Arab Airlines | Tripoli | 4 |
LOT Polish Airlines | Warsaw | 1 |
Lufthansa | Cologne/Bonn [resumes 25 March 2012], Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich | 1 |
Lufthansa operated by BMI | Berlin-Brandenburg [begins 3 June 2012], Berlin-Tegel [ends 2 June 2012], Cologne/Bonn [ends 24 March 2012] | 1 |
Lufthansa Regional operated by Contact Air | Stuttgart | 1 |
Lufthansa Regional operated by Eurowings | Dresden | 1 |
Malaysia Airlines | Kuala Lumpur | 4 |
Middle East Airlines | Beirut | 3 |
Oman Air | Muscat | 3 |
Pakistan International Airlines | Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore | 3 |
Qantas | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi [ends 25 March 2012][44], Hong Kong [ends 25 March 2012][44], Melbourne, Singapore, Sydney | 3 |
Qatar Airways | Doha | 4 |
Royal Air Maroc | Casablanca, Tangier | 4 |
Royal Brunei Airlines | Bandar Seri Begawan, Dubai | 4 |
Royal Jordanian | Amman-Queen Alia | 3 |
Saudi Arabian Airlines | Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh | 4 |
Scandinavian Airlines | Copenhagen, Gothenburg-Landvetter, Oslo-Gardermoen, Stavanger, Stockholm-Arlanda | 3 |
Singapore Airlines | Singapore | 3 |
South African Airways | Cape Town, Johannesburg | 1 |
SriLankan Airlines | Colombo, Malé [ends 25 March 2012][45] | 4 |
Swiss International Air Lines | Geneva, Zürich | 1 |
Syrian Air | Damascus | 4 |
TAM Airlines | Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, São Paulo-Guarulhos | 1 |
TAP Portugal | Lisbon Seasonal: Funchal | 1 |
TAROM | Bucharest-Otopeni | 4 |
Thai Airways International | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi | 3 |
Transaero | Moscow-Domodedovo | 1 |
Tunisair | Tunis | 4 |
Turkish Airlines | Istanbul-Atatürk | 3 |
Turkmenistan Airlines | Ashgabat | 3 |
United Airlines | Chicago-O'Hare, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington-Dulles | 1 |
United Airlines | Houston-Intercontinental, Newark | 4 |
US Airways | Philadelphia | 1 |
Uzbekistan Airways | Tashkent | 4 |
Virgin Atlantic Airways | Accra, Boston, Delhi, Dubai, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Lagos, Los Angeles, Miami, Nairobi, New York-JFK, Newark, San Francisco, Shanghai-Pudong, Sydney, Tokyo-Narita, Washington-Dulles Seasonal: Cape Town, Chicago-O'Hare, Vancouver [begins 24 May 2012][46] | 3 |
Vueling Airlines | A Coruña, Bilbao, Vigo | 3 |
Terminal rearrangements
Following the opening of Terminal 5 in March 2008, a hugely complex programme of terminal moves has been implemented. This has seen many airlines move so as to be grouped in terminals by airline alliance as far as possible[47]:
- Terminal 1: Star Alliance – plus a few non-aligned airlines
- Terminal 3: Oneworld – plus Virgin Atlantic and several other non-aligned airlines as well as Star Alliance members not based in Terminal 1[48]
- Terminal 4: SkyTeam – and all other non-aligned airlines
- Terminal 5: British Airways
Further moves are dependent on the airport's significant construction schedule but will broadly be as follows:
- In January 2014:
- All Star Alliance airlines will move into Phase 1 of the new Terminal 2
- Terminal 1 will be gradually demolished to make way for Phase 2 of the new Terminal 2
- In early 2019:
- Phase 2 of the new Terminal 2 will open, enabling further moves to relieve pressure on Terminal 3
Cargo
Airlines | Destinations |
---|---|
British Airways World Cargo | Abu Dhabi, Amman-Queen Alia, Amsterdam, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Beijing-Capital, Brussels, Budapest, Cairo, Chennai, Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Delhi, Dubai, Frankfurt, Glasgow-Prestwick, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Manchester, Mexico City, Milan-Malpensa, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Mumbai, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Seoul-Incheon, Singapore, Sofia, Sydney, Taipei-Taoyuan, Toronto-Pearson |
Cathay Pacific Cargo | Frankfurt, Glasgow-Prestwick, Hong Kong, Milan-Malpensa |
DHL | Amsterdam, Brussels, East Midlands, Frankfurt, Madrid, Paris-Charles de Gaulle. Plus several other destinations |
Etihad Crystal Cargo | Abu Dhabi, Frankfurt |
EVA Air Cargo | Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Dubai, Taipei-Taoyuan |
Korean Air Cargo | Seoul-Incheon |
MASkargo | Kuala Lumpur |
Royal Air Maroc Cargo | Casablanca |
Royal Jordanian Cargo | Amman-Queen Alia |
Singapore Airlines Cargo | Brussels, Singapore |
Other facilities
The head office of BAA Limited is located in the Compass Centre by Heathrow's northern runway,[49] a building that previously served as a British Airways flight crew centre.[50] The World Business Centre Heathrow consists of buildings one and two. 1 World Business Centre houses offices of BAA Limited, Heathrow Airport, and Scandinavian Airlines.[51] International Airlines Group has its head office in 2 World Business Centre.[52][53]
At one time, the British Airways head office, was located within Heathrow Airport at Speedbird House[54] before the completion of Waterside, the current BA head office in Harmondsworth, in June 1998.[55]
Traffic and statistics
Although BAA claims that Heathrow is the "world's busiest international airport",[56] in 2010 it ranked fourth-busiest by total passenger traffic, after Atlanta, Beijing and Chicago O'Hare which are all international airports. However, Heathrow does have the highest number of international passengers.
By July 2011, Heathrow was the third busiest airport in the world, after Atlanta and Beijing, and overtaking Chicago O'Hare. From the same period in 2010, it had passenger numbers had increased by 7%.[57]
In 2010, Heathrow was the busiest airport in Europe in terms of total passenger traffic,[2] with 13.2% more passengers than Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport[58] and 24.3% more than Frankfurt Airport,[59] However, it was in second place behind Charles de Gaulle in terms of total aircraft movements in 2009 with 11.2% fewer landings and take offs than its French counterpart.[60] Heathrow was the third busiest European airport by cargo traffic in 2009, after Paris Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt.[61]
AccessPublic transportTrain
Bus and coachMany buses and coaches operate from the large Heathrow airport central bus station serving Terminals 1 and 3, and also from bus stations at Terminals 4 and 5. Services include the following:
Between 1981 and 2004, the airport was linked to central London by a group of routes known as Airbus. These routes carried A prefixes before their numbers; one route, A10, operates with such a number to Uxbridge. Inter-terminal transportTerminals 1 and 3 are within walking distance of each other. Transfers to Terminal 4 & 5 are by Heathrow Express trains or bus. Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect services between Heathrow Central and Terminals 4 and 5 are free of charge.[69] Normal fare rules apply to London Underground services between terminals. Local buses throughout the airport area are provided free of charge under the "Heathrow FreeFlow" scheme;[70] passengers should tell the driver their destination to ensure they are not charged a fare. Transit passengers remaining airside are provided free dedicated transfer buses between terminals. ULTra Personal Rapid Transport has been opened in April 2011 to shuttle passengers to and from Terminal 5 at a speed of up to 40 km/h. 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. The capsules run on demand. The provider claims a 95% availability rate and no accidents so far.[71] TaxiTaxis are available at all terminals.[72] CarHeathrow 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[73] and long stay[74] multi-storey car parks. Additionally, there are car parks not run by BAA just outside the airport, the most recognisable is the National Car Parks facility although there are many other options; these car parks are connected to the terminals by shuttle buses. Four parallel tunnels under one of the runways connect the M4 motorway and the A4 road to Terminals 1–3. 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. Pedestrian access to the smaller tunnels has been discontinued, with the free bus services being the alternative. BicycleThere are (mainly off-road) bicycle routes to some of the terminals.[75] 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.[76] Accidents and incidents
Terrorism and security incidents
Other incidents
Future expansionRunway and terminal expansionIn January 2009 the Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon announced that the UK government supports the expansion of Heathrow by building a third 2,200-metre (7,200 ft) runway and a sixth terminal building.[104] This decision follows the 2003 white paper on the future of air transport in the UK,[105] and a public consultation in November 2007.[106] This was a controversial decision which met with widespread opposition because of its greenhouse gas emissions, destruction of local communities, as well as noise and air pollution concerns. Before the 2010 General Election the Conservative and Liberal Democrats 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, Boris Johnson, has admitted that London needs more airport capacity but favours constructing an entirely new airport in the Thames Estuary rather than expanding Heathrow.[107] After the Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition took power, it was announced that the third runway expansion was cancelled.[10] Heathrow railway hubA plan to make Heathrow an international railway exchange has also been proposed with the potential construction of Heathrow Hub railway station,[108] built on a link to the High Speed 2 railway line.[109] AirtrackIn 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.[110] The rail link would address the current lack of public transport available to the South West of the Airport by connecting to Guildford, Reading and London Waterloo. BAA state that the scheme should add significantly to their aim of increasing the proportion of people using public transport to travel to the Airport.[111] In April 2011, BAA announced that it was abandoning the project,[112] citing the unavailability of government subsidy and other priorities for Heathrow,[113] such as linking to Crossrail and HS2. Heathrow/Gatwick Rail LinkThe Department for Transport is currently studying the possibility of a direct high-speed rail link between Heathrow and Gatwick Airport.[114] See also
References
Bibliography
External linksWikimedia Commons has media related to London Heathrow Airport.
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