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London Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Terminal 5 building
IATA: LHR – ICAO: EGLL
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		BAA Limited
Operator		Heathrow Airport Limited
Location		London, England
Hub for		British Airways BMI Virgin Atlantic Airways
Elevation AMSL		83 ft / 25 m
Coordinates		51°28′39″N 000°27′41″W / 51.4775°N 0.46139°W / 51.4775; -0.46139 (London Heathrow Airport)Coordinates: 51°28′39″N 000°27′41″W / 51.4775°N 0.46139°W / 51.4775; -0.46139 (London Heathrow Airport)
Website		www.heathrowairport.com
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
09L/27R	3,901	12,799	Grooved Asphalt
09R/27L	3,660	12,008	Grooved Asphalt
Statistics (2009)
Aircraft Movements			466,393
Passengers			66,036,957
Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1] Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority[2]

London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow (IATA: LHR, ICAO: EGLL), located in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the largest and busiest airport in the United Kingdom. It is the second busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic and it handles more international passengers than any other airport in the world. It is also the busiest airport in the European Union in terms of passenger traffic and the second busiest in terms of traffic movements, second to Paris CDG airport in Paris, France^[3]. The airport is owned and operated by BAA, who also own and operate five other UK airports^[4], and is itself owned by ADI Limited, an international consortium, which includes Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and GIC Special Investments, that is led by the Spanish Ferrovial Group^[5]. Heathrow is the primary hub for BMI, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Located 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) west^[1] of Central London, Heathrow has two parallel main runways spanning east-to-west and five operational terminals. The site covers 12.14 square kilometres (4.69 sq mi). Terminal 5 was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 14 March 2008 and opened to passengers on 27 March 2008. Construction of a new Terminal 2 complex to replace the terminal building and adjacent Queen's Building began in 2009; the first phase is expected to open in 2014^[6]. Terminals 3 and 4 underwent major refurbishments that began in 2007 and were completed in 2009. In November 2007 a consultation process began for the building of a new third runway and a sixth terminal and it was controversially^[7] approved on 15 January 2009 by UK Government ministers^[8].

Heathrow Airport has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P527) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction^[9].

Contents 1 Location 2 History 2.1 Before 1930 2.2 1930s and 1940s 2.3 1950s and 1960s 2.4 1970s to 1990s 3 Heathrow today 3.1 Operations 3.2 Regulation 4 Terminals, airlines and destinations 4.1 Terminals 4.1.1 Terminal 1 4.1.2 Terminal 2 (closed for rebuilding) 4.1.3 Terminal 3 4.1.4 Terminal 4 4.1.5 Terminal 5 4.1.6 Terminal 6 and Runway 3 4.2 Airlines and destinations 4.2.1 Terminal rearrangements 5 Traffic and statistics 6 Access 6.1 Public transport 6.1.1 Train 6.1.2 Bus and coach 6.2 Inter-terminal transport 6.3 Taxi 6.4 Car 6.5 Bicycle 7 Accidents and incidents 7.1 Terrorism and security incidents 8 Future expansion 9 See also 10 Notes 11 External links

Location

Heathrow is located 12 NM (22 km; 14 mi) west^[1] of central London, near the southern end of the London Borough of Hillingdon. The airport stands on a parcel of land that was designated part of the London Metropolitan Green Belt. To the north, the airport is surrounded by the built-up areas of Harlington, Harmondsworth, Longford and Cranford. To the east are Hounslow and Hatton, and to the south are East Bedfont and Stanwell. To the west, the M25 motorway separates the airport from Colnbrook in Berkshire.

The airport's location to the west of London, and the east-west orientation of its runways, means that airliners usually approach to land directly over the city. Other leading European airports, such as those at Madrid, Frankfurt and Paris, are located north or south of their cities, to minimise the overflying problem. Another disadvantage of the site is that it is low-lying, at 83 feet (25 m) above sea level, and can be prone to fog^{[citation needed]}.

Heathrow is one of six airports serving the London area, along with Biggin Hill, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Southend and City although only Heathrow, Biggin Hill and City Airports are located within Greater London.

History

A map of Heathrow from 1948 showing the small passenger aircraft apron just below "The Magpie" in the airport's NE corner

A map of Heathrow from before WWII

L-749A Constellation of TWA with "Speedpack" arriving at Heathrow North in 1954

Pan Am Boeing Stratocruiser arriving at Heathrow North in 1954

Before 1930

• Before aviation started, Heathrow was a hamlet, a row of isolated cottages on Hounslow Heath, formerly frequented by highwaymen, approximately where Terminal 3 now is^[10].
• World War I: Aviation began where Heathrow Airport is now, when fields southeast of Heathrow hamlet were turned into a military airfield.

1930s and 1940s

• 1930s: By now the airfield, then known as the Great Western Aerodrome, was privately owned by the Fairey Aviation Company, and was used for aircraft assembly and testing^[11]. Commercial traffic used Croydon Airport, which was London's main airport at the time.
• 1943: Heathrow came under the control of the Air Ministry, to be developed as a Royal Air Force transfer station^[11][12].
• 1944: Construction of runways began, on land originally acquired from the vicar of Harmondsworth. The new airport was built by Wimpey Construction^[13], much enlarging the prewar airfield, and Heathrow hamlet was demolished to make room for it. The Royal Air Force never used the airport.
• 1 January 1946: Control was transferred to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The first civil flight that day was to Buenos Aires, via Lisbon for refuelling^{[citation needed]}.
• 25 March 1946: The official opening ceremony was performed by Lord Winster, the Minister of Aviation, the first aircraft to use the new airport being a British South American Airways (BSAA) Avro Lancastrian.
• 16 April 1946: A Panair Lockheed L-049 Constellation landed after a flight from Rio de Janeiro, the first aircraft of a foreign airline to land at Heathrow.
• 28 May 1946: The first BOAC scheduled flight departed for Australia. This route was operated as a joint route with Qantas^[14].
• 31 May 1946: The airport opened fully for civilian use.
• 1947: By now Heathrow had three runways, with three more under construction. These older runways, built for the piston-engined planes of that era, were each slightly longer than a mile, arranged in a ✡ pattern to allow for all wind conditions. The temporary "prefab" passenger and cargo buildings were located at the northeast edge of the airport, just south of Bath Road.

1950s and 1960s

• 1953: The first slab of the first modern runway was ceremonially placed by Queen Elizabeth II.
• 1955: Queen Elizabeth II opened the first permanent terminal building, the Europa Building (now known as Terminal 2).
• 1 April 1955: A new 38.8-metre (127 ft) control tower designed by Frederick Gibberd was opened, replacing the original RAF control tower.
• 13 November 1961: The Oceanic Terminal (renamed as Terminal 3 in 1968) opened, to handle flight departures for long-haul routes^[15]. At this time the airport had a direct helicopter service from central London; there were also public viewing facilities and gardens on the roof of the Europa Building ^[16]
• 1968: Terminal 1 was opened, completing the cluster of buildings at the centre of the airport site. By now Heathrow was handling 14 million passengers annually. The location of the original terminals in the centre of the site has since become a constraint to expansion. They were put there because people assumed early that airline passengers would not need extensive car parking, as air travel was then only affordable to the wealthy, who would often be chauffeur-driven^[17].
• Late 1960s: A 160 acres (0.65 km²) cargo terminal was built to the south of the southern runway, connected to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 by a tunnel.

1970s to 1990s

• 1970: Terminal 3 was expanded with the addition of an arrivals building. Other facilities were also added, including the UK's first moving walkways^[18]. Heathrow's two main runways, 09L-27R and 09R-27L, were also extended to their current lengths in order to accommodate new large jets such as the Boeing 747. The other runways were closed to facilitate terminal expansions, except for Runway 23, which was preserved for crosswind landings until 2002.
• 1977: The London Underground Piccadilly Line was extended from Hounslow West via Hatton Cross to Heathrow, connecting the airport with Central London in just under an hour.
• 23 June 1998: Heathrow Express started operating, providing a direct rail service to London's Paddington station, via a specially-constructed line between the airport and the Great Western Main Line.
• Early 1980's: By now continued growth in passenger numbers to 30 million annually led to the need for more terminal space. Terminal 4 was constructed to the south of the southern runway, next to the existing cargo terminal, and away from the three older terminals. It was connected with Terminals 1, 2 and 3 by the already-existing Heathrow Cargo Tunnel.
• August 1982: The "Airport Spur" section of the M4 was opened to give the airport a direct link with the motorway and provide motorway access to airport users from as far away as the West Country and South Wales.
• 1986: The M25 motorway was completed as the London Orbital Motorway giving a direct motorway link to much of the rest of the country [2].
• April 1986: Terminal 4 was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales, and became the home for the newly-privatised British Airways.
• 1987: The UK government privatised the British Airports Authority (now known as "BAA Limited") which controls Heathrow^[19] and six other UK airports^[20].
• 1980s and 1990s: Since privatisation, BAA have expanded the proportion of terminal space allocated to retailing activities, and has invested in the development of retail activity. This has included expanding terminal areas to provide more shops and restaurants, and routing passengers through shopping areas, to maximise their exposure to retail offerings.

Heathrow today

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

Of Heathrow's 67 million annual passengers, 11% travel to UK destinations, 43% are short-haul international travellers, and 46% are long-haul. The busiest single destination in terms of passenger numbers is New York, with over 3.7 million passengers travelling between Heathrow and JFK / Newark airports in 2008^[21] and 3.5 million in 2009.^[2] The airport has five passenger terminals (Terminals 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) and a cargo terminal. Terminal 5 opened to passengers on 27 March 2008 and will be fully completed with the opening of its second satellite building in 2010.^[22]

Heathrow originally had six runways, arranged in three pairs at different angles, with the passenger terminal in the centre. With growth in the required length for runways, Heathrow now has just two parallel runways running east-west. Runway 23, a short runway for use in strong south-westerly winds, was decommissioned in 2005 and now forms part of a taxiway.

In 2006, the new £105 million Pier 6 was completed at Terminal 3^[23] in order to accommodate the Airbus A380 superjumbo, providing four new aircraft stands. Other modifications totalling in excess of £340 million^[23] were also carried out across the airfield in readiness for the Airbus A380. The first A380 test flight into Heathrow took place on 18 May 2006^[24], but following delays to the aircraft's production, scheduled services did not commence from Heathrow until 18 March 2008, when Singapore Airlines Flight 380, the first A380 in passenger service, registered 9V-SKA of Singapore Airlines touched down from Singapore carrying 470 passengers, marking the first ever European commercial flight by the Airbus A380^[23].

A new 87-metre (285 ft) high £50 million air traffic control tower entered service on 21 April 2007, and was officially opened on 13 June 2007 by Secretary of State for Transport Douglas Alexander.

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 to the airport during periods of heightened security. Heathrow's reputation for thefts has led to it sometimes being referred to as 'Thiefrow'^[25].

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 which is 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.

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^[26].

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^[27]. Each is defined by a VOR radio-navigational beacon. When the airport is busy, aircraft will orbit in the associated holds. These reporting points/holds lie respectively to the north-west, north-east, south-east and south-west of the London conurbation.

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^[28]. 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 daytime operations^[29]. 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 3 pm 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 to operate at all. In addition, between 23:30 and 06:00 (the night quota period) 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^[30];
• A voluntary ban on QC/4 aircraft.

Regulation

As BAA own London's three major airports^[31] and therefore have a monopolistic position, the amount it is allowed to charge airlines to land aeroplanes at Heathrow is heavily regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). 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^[32].

In addition, 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 and Virgin Atlantic was added to the list of airlines allowed to operate on these routes. In 2002, American Airlines and British Airways announced plans to coordinate the scheduling of their trans-Atlantic routes but plans were dropped after the United States Department of Transportation made approval conditional on the granting of further access slots to Heathrow to other US airlines. American Airlines and British Airways considered the slots too valuable and dropped the plans^[33]. The Bermuda bilateral agreement conflicted with the Right of Establishment of the United Kingdom in terms of its membership in the EU, 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.

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).

Heathrow's facilities were originally designed to accommodate 55 million passengers annually according to BAA. With numbers currently approaching 70 million the airport has become crowded and subject to delays, for which it has been criticised in recent years^[34], and in 2007 the airport was voted the world's least favourite alongside Chicago O'Hare in a TripAdvisor survey^[35], 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.

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^[36]. 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^[37]. 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^[38]. BAA have also proposed building a third runway to the north of the airport, which would significantly increase traffic capacity (see Future expansion below)^[39].

However with passenger traffic at Charles de Gaulle growing by 5.8% to 59.3 million during the 12 months to September 2007, compared with Heathrow's fall of 0.4% to 67.6 million during the same period^[40], it is possible that CDG - with its four runways operating at only 73.5% capacity - could overtake Heathrow by 2010^[41].

Terminals, airlines and destinations

Terminals

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 was opened in 1968 and was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II in May 1969^[42]. In 2005, a substantial redesign and redevelopment of the terminal was completed, which saw the opening of the new Eastern Extension, doubling the departure lounge in size and creating additional seating and retail space. The terminal has an area of 74,601m². It is home to Heathrow's second largest carrier, bmi, and airlines belonging to the Star Alliance. It is set to be closed and demolished around 2013/14^[6] to enable the construction of the second phase of the new Terminal 2, scheduled for completion in 2019.

Terminal 2 (closed for rebuilding)

Heathrow's next major project will be the construction of a vast, new Terminal 2, of which the first phase will cover an area of 180,000m². This new home for Star Alliance carriers is expected to open in 2014. A second phase, replacing Terminal 1, will open in 2019^[43].

The construction of the new terminal envisages a complete realignment of piers more logically and the building of new ones on the now defunct cross-wind runway, in a site taking up roughly the same amount of space as Terminal 5. Formerly Heathrow East, the core terminal building (half of which will be built as phase one and half as phase two) will be known as Terminal 2A, and there will be two satellite buildings named Terminal 2B and Terminal 2C. Terminal 2B has been under construction since 2008. It is set to provide Heathrow with 16 additional stands and will be connected via an underground link to the main terminal building. Terminal 2C will be built as part of the second phase of the development.

The entire project will, when completed, have a capacity of 30 million passengers a year and will cost £1-1.5bn. The new Terminal 2 will produce 40 per cent less carbon dioxide than the buildings it is replacing. Large north-facing windows in the roof will flood the building with natural light, reducing the need for artificial lighting without generating uncomfortable levels of heat in the building. Solar-gathering panels on the roof will further reduce the dependency on energy supplies. Additionally a new energy centre, partially fuelled by renewable resources, will provide heating and cooling for the building.

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^[44]; the last flight to depart was Air France flight AF1881 to Paris. It had an area of 49,654m² and saw 316 million passengers pass through its doors. It was originally designed to handle around 1.2 million passengers annually, but in its final years of operation it was often accommodating around 8 million passengers. Despite the best efforts of maintenance staff and various renovations and upgrades over the years, the building was becoming increasingly decrepit and unserviceable. It is now in the advanced stages of being stripped out and prepared for demolition. The removal of the adjacent Queen's Building is now complete and this vacant site will be subsumed into the project.

Terminal 3

Terminal 3 was opened as The Oceanic Terminal on 13 November 1961 to handle flight departures for long-haul routes^[15]. At this time the airport had a direct helicopter service to Central London from the gardens on the roof of the terminal building. The Oceanic Terminal was renamed as Terminal 3 in 1968 and was expanded in 1970 with the addition of an arrivals building. Other facilities were also added, including the UK's first moving walkways. In 2006, the new £105 million Pier 6 was completed^[23] 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 by 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 have plans for a £1bn upgrade of the rest of the terminal over the next ten years which includes the renovation of aircraft piers and the arrivals forecourt. A new baggage system which connects 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 hope of improving design and layout of the area^[45].

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. 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. The forecourt has been upgraded to reduce traffic congestion and improve security. An extended check-in area and renovated piers and departure lounges have been delivered, two new stands to accommodate the Airbus A380 have been constructed, and a new baggage system has been installed^[46].

Terminal 5

Terminal 5 is situated 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^[47] some nineteen years after its inception. It opened for passenger use on 27 March 2008. The first two weeks of the terminal's operation were disrupted by a number of problems with the terminal's IT systems, coupled with insufficient testing and staff training, which caused over 500 flights to be cancelled^[48]. 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 first satellite (Concourse B) includes dedicated aircraft stands for the Airbus A380; Concourse C is currently under construction and scheduled to open in early 2011. In total, Terminal 5 has an area of 353,020m², 60 aircraft stands and capacity for 30 million passengers annually. There are more than 100 shops and restaurants^[49]. A further building, similar in size to Concourse C, may yet be constructed to the East of the existing site, providing another 16 stands. This is likely to become a priority if British Airways' merger with Iberia proceeds, since both airlines will want to be accommodated at Heathrow under one roof in order to maximise the cost savings that the merger envisages.

The transport network around the airport has been extended to cope with the increase in passenger numbers. A dedicated motorway spur has been built from 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 will be linked to the terminal by a personal rapid transit system, which will become operational in late Spring 2010^[50]. New branches of both the Heathrow Express and the Underground's Piccadilly Line serve a new shared Heathrow Terminal 5 station.

Terminal 6 and Runway 3

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations	Terminal
Aegean Airlines	Athens	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, St. John's [seasonal; resumes 28 May], Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver	3
Air China	Beijing-Capital	3
Air France	Paris-Charles de Gaulle	4
Air France operated by Airlinair	Paris-Charles de Gaulle [seasonal]	4
Air India	Amritsar, Delhi, Mumbai, Toronto-Pearson	3
Air Malta	Malta	4
Air Mauritius	Mauritius	3
Air New Zealand	Auckland, Hong Kong, Los Angeles	1
Air Seychelles	Mahé, Zürich [ends 15 April][51]	4
Air Transat	Toronto-Pearson [seasonal]	4
Alitalia	Milan-Linate, Rome-Fiumicino	4
All Nippon Airways	Tokyo-Narita	3
American Airlines	Boston, Brussels [seasonal], 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
Atlas Blue	Tangier	4
Austrian Airlines	Vienna	1
Azerbaijan Airlines	Baku	4
Biman Bangladesh Airlines	Dhaka, Dubai	4
Blue1	Helsinki	3
BMI	Addis Ababa, Almaty, Amman, Amsterdam [ends 27 March], Baku, Beirut, Belfast-City, Berlin-Tegel [begins 28 March], Bishkek, Cairo, Damascus, Dammam, Dublin, Edinburgh, Freetown, Glasgow-International, Jeddah, Khartoum, Manchester, Moscow-Domodedovo, Riyadh, Tbilisi, Tehran-Imam Khomeini, Vienna [begins 28 March], Yerevan	1
BMI operated by BMI Regional	Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow-International, Hanover, Manchester	1
British Airways	Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Barcelona, Gibraltar, Helsinki, Lisbon, Madrid, Málaga, Singapore, Sydney, Vienna	3
British Airways	Aberdeen, Abu Dhabi, Abuja, Accra, Algiers, Amsterdam, Athens, Atlanta, Bahrain, Baltimore, Bangalore, Basel/Mulhouse, Beijing-Capital, Belgrade, Berlin-Tegel, Boston, Brussels, Bucharest-Henri Coanda, Budapest, 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, Grand Cayman, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Houston-Intercontinental, Hyderabad, Istanbul-Atatürk, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kiev-Boryspil, Kuwait, Lagos, Larnaca, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Luanda, Lusaka, Lyon, Manchester, Mauritius, 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, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pisa, Prague, Providenciales, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, Riyadh, Rome-Fiumicino, St Petersburg, San Francisco, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Seattle/Tacoma, Shanghai-Pudong, Sofia, Stockholm-Arlanda, Stuttgart, Tel Aviv, Tokyo-Narita, Toronto-Pearson, Toulouse, Tripoli, Vancouver, Venice-Marco Polo [seasonal], Warsaw, Washington-Dulles, Zürich	5
Brussels Airlines	Brussels	1
Bulgaria Air	Sofia	4
Cathay Pacific	Hong Kong	3
China Airlines	Taipei-Taoyuan [begins 28 March]	4
China Eastern Airlines	Shanghai-Pudong [resumes 29 March]	4
Continental Airlines	Houston-Intercontinental, Newark	4
Croatia Airlines	Split, Zagreb	1
Cyprus Airways	Larnaca, Paphos	1
Cyprus Turkish Airlines	Izmir	3
Czech Airlines	Prague	4
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK	4
EgyptAir	Cairo, Luxor	3
El Al	Tel Aviv	1
Emirates	Dubai	3
Ethiopian Airlines	Addis Ababa	3
Etihad Airways	Abu Dhabi	4
EVA Air	Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Taipei-Taoyuan	3
Finnair	Helsinki	3
Gulf Air	Bahrain	4
Iberia Airlines	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 [begins 28 March][52], Mumbai	4
KLM	Amsterdam	4
KLM operated by KLM Cityhopper	Amsterdam	4
Korean Air	Seoul-Incheon	4
Kuwait Airways	Kuwait, New York-JFK	3
Libyan Airlines	Tripoli	4
LOT Polish Airlines	Warsaw	1
Lufthansa	Cologne/Bonn [ends 27 March], Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Milan-Malpensa, Munich	1
Lufthansa operated by BMI	Berlin-Tegel, Cologne/Bonn [begins 28 March], Dresden [begins 19 April], Hamburg [begins 28 March], Milan-Malpensa	1
Lufthansa Regional operated by Contact Air	Stuttgart	1
Lufthansa Regional operated by Eurowings	Düsseldorf, Stuttgart	1
Lufthansa Regional operated by Lufthansa CityLine	Stuttgart	1
Malaysia Airlines	Kuala Lumpur	4
Middle East Airlines	Beirut	3
Olympic Air	Athens	4
Oman Air	Muscat	3
Pakistan International Airlines	Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore	3
Qantas	Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Singapore, Sydney	3
Qatar Airways	Doha	3
Rossiya	St Petersburg	4
Royal Air Maroc	Casablanca	4
Royal Brunei Airlines	Bandar Seri Begawan, Dubai	4
Royal Jordanian	Amman	3
Saudi Arabian Airlines	Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh	3
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	4
Swiss International Air Lines	Geneva, Zürich	1
Swiss operated by BMI	Geneva	1
Syrian Air	Damascus	4
TAM Airlines	São Paulo-Guarulhos	4
TAP Portugal	Lisbon, Porto [ends 28 March]	1
TAROM	Bucharest-Henri Coandă	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	Brussels [seasonal], Chicago-O'Hare, Denver [seasonal], Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington-Dulles	1
US Airways	Philadelphia	1
Uzbekistan Airways	Tashkent	4
Virgin Atlantic Airways	Accra [begins 24 May][53], Boston, Cape Town [seasonal], Chicago-O'Hare [seasonal], Delhi, Dubai, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Lagos, Los Angeles, Mauritius [seasonal], Miami, Nairobi, New York-JFK, Newark, San Francisco, Shanghai-Pudong, Sydney, Tokyo-Narita, Washington-Dulles	3
Vueling Airlines	A Coruña, Bilbao, Seville	3
Yemenia	Sana'a (suspended until further notice[54])	4

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 moved so as to be grouped in terminals by airline alliance as far as possible ^[55][56]:

• Terminal 1: Star Alliance - plus Aer Lingus, El Al and Transaero
• Terminal 3: Oneworld - plus several non-aligned airlines (Air India, Air Mauritius, Cyprus Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Ethiopian, Eva Air, Iran Air, Kuwait Airways, MEA, Oman Air, PIA, Qatar Airways, Saudia, Turkmenistan Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Vueling) and Star Alliance members not based in Terminals 1 or 4 ^[57]
• Terminal 4: SkyTeam - plus Continental Airlines and all other non-aligned airlines
• Terminal 5: British Airways

Further moves depend on the airport's significant construction schedule but broadly they will be as follows:

• On 28 March 2010:
  • TAM will move to Terminal 1 from Terminal 4.^[58]
• In early 2011:
  • Terminal 5C will open and British Airways' flights to Gibraltar, Lisbon and Vienna will move there from Terminal 3. British Airways' flights to Bangkok, Barcelona, Helsinki, Madrid, Malaga, Singapore and Sydney are operated as codeshares with Finnair, Iberia and Qantas and will remain at Terminal 3.
• In late 2013:
  • All Star Alliance airlines will move into Phase 1 of the new Terminal 2.
  • Terminal 1 will close and be 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.

Traffic and statistics

BAA claim that Heathrow is the "world's busiest international airport"^[59], but it is only the world's second-busiest by total passenger traffic, after Atlanta-Hartsfield-Jackson, which is also an international airport. However, Heathrow does have the highest number of international passengers.

In 2008 Heathrow was the busiest airport in Europe in terms of total passenger traffic (13.6% more passengers than at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport and 25.6% more than at Frankfurt Airport)^[60], but it was third behind Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt in terms of plane movements (12.9% fewer landings and take offs than at Charles de Gaulle, and 2.2% fewer than at Frankfurt)^[61]. Heathrow was fourth in terms of cargo traffic (after Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol)^[62].

Busiest international routes at Heathrow (2008)[21] Rank Airport Passengers handled % Change 1 John F. Kennedy International Airport 2,802,870 ▲1 2 Dublin Airport 1,812,028 ▲8 3 Amsterdam Airport Schiphol 1,709,135 ▲5 4 Dubai International Airport 1,652,441 ▲5 5 Hong Kong International Airport 1,493,864 ▲3 6 Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport 1,489,167 ▲17 7 Los Angeles International Airport 1,461,079 ▲4 8 O'Hare International Airport 1,460,816 ▲9 9 Frankfurt Airport 1,271,421 ▲12 10 Madrid-Barajas Airport 1,152,504 ▲2 11 Singapore Changi Airport 1,066,606 ▲1 12 Washington Dulles International Airport 1,041,176 ▲1 13 Toronto Pearson International Airport 992,579 ▲3 14 San Francisco International Airport 985,575 ▲5 15 Munich Airport 983,287 ▲8 16 Cape Town International Airport 955,302 ▼3 17 OR Tambo International Airport 944,731 ▼6 18 Copenhagen Airport 939,950 ▲4 19 Stockholm-Arlanda Airport 893,181 ▲1 20 Newark Liberty International Airport 882,931 ▲24

Countries with maximum passengers to/from Heathrow (2008)[63] Rank Country/Region Passengers handled % Change 1 United States 12,601,114 ▲10.3 2 Germany 4,124,489 ▲6.5 3 Canada 2,531,315 ▲2.9 4 Ireland 2,337,223 ▲15.9 5 Spain 2,328,552 ▲7.8 6 France 2,276,009 ▲11.8 7 India 2,143,714 ▲3.9 8 United Arab Emirates 2,095,646 ▲10.3 9 Italy 2,014,961 ▼12.4 10 Netherlands 1,750,513 ▲7.4 11 Switzerland 1,599,277 ▲2.8 12 South Africa 1,515,856 ▲5.4 13 Hong Kong 1,493,864 ▲2.8 14 Australia 1,272,470 ▲5.1 15 Singapore 1,066,606 ▲0.8 16 Sweden 1,044,514 ▼0.2 17 Denmark 939,950 ▲3.8 18 Portugal 731,343 ▲11.2 19 Norway 703,169 ▲1.2 20 Russia 696,571 ▼4

Access

Public transport

Train

Heathrow area rail services

Heathrow Connect Heathrow Express London Paddington station Central and District lines Ealing Broadway West Ealing (closed Sundays) Hanwell (closed Sundays) Southall Hayes & Harlington Great Western Main Line Piccadilly Line Hatton Cross Heathrow Airport Central & Terminals 1,2,3 Terminal 4 tube Terminal 4 Heathrow Connect Terminal 5 Heathrow Express & tube Waterloo to Reading Line to London Feltham for Heathrow Airport bus link Ashford (Surrey) Staines Heathrow Airtrack (proposed) Staines to Windsor Line to Windsor Waterloo to Reading Line to Reading All Heathrow stations have step-free access. There is free transfer between Heathrow terminals on Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect.

• Heathrow Express: a non-stop service directly to London's Paddington station; trains leave every 15 minutes for the 15 minute journey, either from Heathrow Terminal 5 station or Heathrow Central station (Terminals 1, 2, 3).
• Heathrow Connect: a service to Paddington calling at up to five National Rail stations en route - trains leave every 30 minutes for the 25-minute journey. Heathrow Connect services use Heathrow Central station (Terminals 1, 2, 3) and terminate at Terminal 4.
• London Underground Piccadilly line: four tube stations serve the airport - Terminals 1, 2, 3; Terminal 4; Terminal 5 serve the passenger terminals, and Hatton Cross serves the maintenance areas. The standard journey time from the Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3 tube station to Central London is 40–50 minutes.

Bus and coach

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

• Long-distance coach services operated by National Express and Oxford Bus Company to various parts of the UK, including Victoria Coach Station in London^[64]
• A door-to-door London hotel shuttle bus service is operated by Dot2Dot from each terminal, and HotelHoppa buses connect each terminal with hotels in the Heathrow area
• There are two RailAir coach services connecting nearby railway stations with the airport using dedicated non-stop coaches and running to:
  • Reading railway station, connecting with railway services to the West Country, South Wales, Midlands and the south coast of England
  • Woking railway station, for places in Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire
  • A connection to Feltham railway station, for Richmond, Camberley, Bracknell, London Waterloo and Clapham Junction, using London Buses route 285 (route 490 from Terminals 4 and 5)^[65]
• Express bus services to Watford, St Albans and Harlow (Green Line route 724), Croydon (London Buses route X26) and High Wycombe (Carousel Buses)
• Local bus services by London Buses, First Berkshire & The Thames Valley and other companies to nearby towns and London suburbs^[66]
• Night bus N9 operates to central London at night when the trains do not operate

Inter-terminal transport

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

ULTra Personal Rapid Transport is currently being constructed as a trial shuttling passengers to and from Terminal 5. The initial trial will have 18 pods running. ULTra are small transportation pods that can fit four adults, two children, and their luggage and will be able to carry passengers directly to the terminal. The pods are battery powered and will be initially used on a four kilometre track. If the trial is successful there are plans for a roll out airport wide^[67].

Taxi

Taxis are available at all terminals.

Car

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

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.

Bicycle

There are (mainly off-road) bicycle routes to some of the terminals^[68]. 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^[69]

Accidents and incidents

• On 3 March 1948, Sabena Douglas DC3 Dakota OO-AWH crashed in fog. Three crew and 19 of the 22 passengers died^[70].
• On 31 October 1950, BEA Vickers Viking G-AHPN crashed at Heathrow after hitting the runway during a go-around. Three crew and 25 passengers died^[71].
• On 1 August 1956, XA897, an Avro Vulcan strategic bomber of the Royal 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.
• On 7 January 1960, Vickers Viscount 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^[72].
• On 27 October 1965, BEA Vickers Vanguard 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^[73].
• On 8 April 1968, BOAC Flight 712 Boeing 707 G-ARWE, departing to Australia via Singapore, suffered an engine fire just after take-off. The engine fell from the wing into a nearby gravel pit in Staines, 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 stewardess – died, while 122 survived. Barbara Harrison, a flight attendant on board who helped with the evacuation, was posthumously awarded the George Cross^[74][75].
• On 3 July 1968, G-AMAD, an Airspeed Ambassador of BKS Air Transport, dropped a wing during approach, causing the aircraft to contact the grass and swerve towards the terminal building. It hit two parked British European Airways Hawker 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 that were on board. Trident G-ARPT was written off^[76], and Trident G-ARPI was badly damaged, but subsequently repaired, only to be lost in the Staines crash in 1972.
• On 22 January 1970, Vickers Viscount G-AWXI of British Midland Airways was damaged beyond economic repair when an engine caught fire on take-off. A successful emergency landing was made at Heathrow^[77].
• On 18 June 1972, Trident G-ARPI, operating as BEA548, 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.

• On 5 November 1997, a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340-300, G-VSKY, made an emergency landing with an undercarriage malfunction. Part of the undercarriage collapsed on landing, and both aircraft and runway were damaged. Recommendations made as a result of the accident included one that aircraft cabin door simulators should more accurately reproduce operating characteristics in an emergency, and another that cockpit voice recorders should have a two-hour duration in aircraft registered before April 1998^[78].
• On 17 January 2008, a British Airways Boeing 777-236ER, G-YMMM, operating as flight number BA038 from Beijing to London, crash-landed at Heathrow. The aircraft landed on grass short of the south runway, 27L, then slid to the edge of the runway and stopped on the threshold, its undercarriage having collapsed. It was the first accident resulting in a Boeing 777 hull loss, and eighteen minor injuries were confirmed, with 13 people being admitted to hospital. In 2009 a second interim report from the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said that ice may have formed in the fuel lines during the flight, restricting the flow of fuel to the engines. Air accident investigators called for a component on the Rolls-Royce Trent 800 series engine to be redesigned^[79].

Terrorism and security incidents

• On 8 June 1968, James Earl Ray, the man convicted of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., was captured and arrested at Heathrow Airport while he was trying to leave the United Kingdom on a false Canadian passport^[80].
• On 19 May 1974, the IRA planted a series of bombs in the Terminal 1 car park. Two people were injured by the explosions^[81].
• On 26 November 1983, the Brinks Mat robbery occurred, in which 6,800 gold bars worth nearly £26 million were taken from the Brink's Mat vault near Heathrow. Only a fraction of the gold was ever recovered, and only two men were convicted of the crime^[82].
• On 17 April 1986, semtex explosives were found in the bag of a pregnant Irishwoman attempting to board an El Al flight. The explosives had been given to her by her Jordanian boyfriend and father of their unborn child Nizar Hindawi. The incident became known as the Hindawi Affair^[83].
• On 21 December 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 from Heathrow to New York/JFK was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 on board and 11 other people on the ground.
• In 1994, over a six-day period, Heathrow was targeted three times (8, 10, and 13 March) by the IRA, who 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 by the fact that the Queen was being flown back to Heathrow by the RAF on 10 March^[84].
• In March 2002, thieves stole US$3 million that had arrived on a South African Airways flight^[85].
• In February 2003, the British Army was deployed to Heathrow, along with 1,000 police officers, in response to intelligence reports suggesting that al-Qaeda terrorists might launch surface-to-air missile attacks at British or American airliners^[86].
• On 17 May 2004, Scotland Yard's Flying Squad foiled an attempt by seven men to steal £40 million in gold bullion and a similar quantity of cash from the Swissport warehouse at Heathrow.^[87]
• On 10 August 2006, the airport became the focus of changes in security protocol, following the revelation of a supposed al-Qaeda terrorist plot. New security rules were put in force immediately, causing lengthy delays and inconvenience to passengers. These included the prohibition of carry-on luggage (except essential items such as travel documents and medication) and all liquids – although this rule was later relaxed to allow the carrying on board of liquid medications and baby milk, provided that they were tasted first by passengers at the security checkpoint^{[citation needed]}.
• On 25 February 2008, Greenpeace activists protesting against the planned third runway managed to cross the tarmac and climb on top of a British Airways Airbus A320, which had just arrived from Manchester Airport. At about 09:45 GMT the protesters unveiled a banner, saying "Climate Emergency – No Third Runway", over the aircraft's tailfin, and by 11:00 GMT four arrests had been made^[88].
• On 13 March 2008, a man with a rucksack scaled the perimeter fence onto runway 27R, and ran across the grounds, resulting in his subsequent arrest. A controlled explosion of his bag took place, although nothing suspicious was found, and the Metropolitan Police later said that the incident had not been terrorism related^[89].

Future expansion

In January 2009 the Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon announced that the UK government supports the expansion of Heathrow by building a third runway (2200 m) and sixth terminal building.^[90] This decision follows the 2003 white paper on the future of air transport in the UK,^[91] and a public consultation in November 2007.^[92] This was a controversial decision which met widespread opposition because of its greenhouse gas emissions, destruction of local communities, and noise and air pollution.

A plan to make Heathrow an international railway exchange has also been proposed with the potential construction of Heathrow Hub railway station.^[93]

In July 2009, Heathrow Airport Limited submitted an application to the Secretary of State for Transport seeking to gain authorisation to develop a new rail link to Heathrow Terminal 5 to be known as Heathrow Airtrack.^[94] 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.^[95]

The Conservative and Liberal Democrats parties have announced that, should they win the 2010 General Election, they will prevent the construction of any third runway or further material expansion of the airport's operating capacity. The Conservative Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, admits that London needs more airport capacity but opposes the expansion for Heathrow for a new airport in the Thames Estuary.^[96]

See also

• List of airports in the United Kingdom
• World's busiest airports by passenger traffic
• Busiest airports in Europe by passenger traffic

Notes

External links

• Official website
• Heathrow Airport Consultative Committee
• Heathrow Airport travel guide from Wikitravel
• 2M group - a coalition of 12 local boroughs representing 2 million residents affected by expansion plans
• The building of Heathrow Video at the Internet Archive
• Heathrow Air Watch - Information on pollution levels around Heathrow
• Heathrow airport's resident TV crew - official website

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From Wikitravel

Heathrow Airport [1] (IATA: LHR) is in the west of London (17 miles or 27 km from central London) and is one of the world's busiest airports.

Heathrow is a giant, sprawling airport currently divided into four terminals (T1, T3, T4 and T5). It is the busiest airport in the world for international passenger traffic and is Europe's foremost hub airport.

Due to its size, increased security requirements and the fact development hasn't kept pace with its growth, Heathrow has become overcrowded and has developed a reputation for long queues, inefficiency and delays. However, since Terminal 5 opened in March 2008, and despite initial problems with the brand new terminal, this situation has begun to improve as more space becomes available. Terminal 2 (the airport's original terminal), closed in November 2009 for redevelopment - expected to reopen in 2014.

Terminal changes

There is currently a long, drawn out game of musical terminals being played by the airlines at Heathrow: British Airways is gradually moving all of its flights to Terminals 5 and 3 until the second stage of T5 is opened in 2010, when all of its flights will move there. While British Airways is doing this the other airlines are moving round to better use the space that has been vacated. Eventually the idea is that all of the airline alliances (Oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam) will have their 'own' terminal which their members use, thus minimizing the number connecting passengers who have to change to a different terminal. Terminal 2, the oldest and smallest terminal has now closed to be replaced by a brand new building which will also eventually replace T1. Because of this it is currently imperative to double-check where your flight departs from — for example, at the time of writing British Airways operates from T3, T4 and T5. Broadly speaking by late 2009 the situation is:

• T1: BMI, most Star Alliance airlines.
• T2: Closed.
• T3: Virgin Atlantic, British Airways (Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Nice, Helsinki, Malaga and Vienna), British Airways and Qantas flights to Bangkok, Singapore and Australia some Star Alliance carriers.
• T4: All SkyTeam airlines.
• T5: Most British Airways flights.

Make sure you double check which terminal you need to use on the Heathrow Airport website [2] as the situation changes regularly!

Get out

By car

The airport is some 17 miles (27 km) west of central London - a large part of the journey can be made by means of the M4 motorway which can, however, be quite congested at peak periods. Terminal 5 can be reached directly from the M25. The airport is also near the M40 and M3.

There are Cars to be rented everywhere around the outsides of the terminals which will make your onward travel easier. It is worth Booking In advance to ensure that the best deals are had but remember often the car type will change once you arrive.

There can be time delays when arriving at the hire desk with large queues so make every effort to get to the desk before the crowd, perhaps by getting one member of the party with hand luggage to go straight through.

Parking Your Car At Heathrow Airport

Different Car Parks with Different Procedures. There is no shortage of choice when parking your car at Heathrow but there are many different procedures to follow depending on which car park you choose. Some simply get you to turn up and report to a reception area which is easy enough. However some others have different procedures such as using the credit card you used to pre book with to enter the car park or even registration plate recognition. Some website do help you to overcome this such as [3] or even [4].

All the terminals have very good public transport links to and from Central London, with options ranging from local and express busses to the London Underground and rail services. The majority of travelers heading to Central London use public transport. Note that there are different rail stations for the five terminals at Heathrow - be sure you take the right train as not all trains go to the same terminals.

Heathrow Express

Direct from Terminals 1, 3 & 5, and via a connection from T4. Every 15 minutes. The fastest way to Central London from Terminals 1, 3 & 5 is the Heathrow Express [5] rail service, but it is also by far the most expensive. The Heathrow Express does not operate directly to Terminal 4, you have to take a connecting (Heathrow Connect) train to Terminals 1 & 3 and change - cross platform - to the Express.

The train departs from Terminal 5 every 15 minutes, stops at Terminals 1 & 3 and then runs non-stop to London Paddington, Central London, where connections are available to rest of London’s transport system. Journey time from Terminal 5 to London Paddington is 21 minutes, and from Terminals 1 & 3 it’s 15 minutes. The first train from Heathrow leaves at 05:42 and the last at 23:42.

The trains are air-conditioned, modern, comfortable and are fully accessible with a wheelchair area, disabled toilet and level access to the station platforms. T-Mobile Wi-Fi Internet access is available on board for a fee. Mobile phone coverage is available throughout the entire route, including in the tunnels under Heathrow. On board TV entertainment plays throughout the journey, offering BBC News bulletins, destination information, comedy clips and trivia. Quiet zones are available where this does not play. There are two classes of accommodation - Express (Standard) Class and First Class. First Class offers a larger seat, more legroom (though there’s plenty in Express Class), tables and complimentary newspapers. The First Class area of the train also stops closer to the station exits.

Fares can be purchased in advance on the Internet, from the station or on-board the train and they vary in price depending on where you bought them. An Express Class Adult Single bought at the station or online costs £16.50 (£32 Return), with a £3 surcharge if you buy on-board (per Dec.08). National Railcard discounts are available at Heathrow Express station ticket offices only (with the exception of Disabled Persons Railcard, which can be used on-board). Child fares (5-15 years inclusive) are about half the adult fare. Under 5s travel free. If you book your ticket online you can have it sent to you as an email message to print out or as a mobile phone picture message, both contain a barcode and the conductor scans this on the train.

London Travelcards and Oyster Cards are not valid on the Heathrow Express.

Heathrow Connect

Direct from Terminals 1, 3 & 4, and via a connection from T5. Every 30 minutes. Oyster cards not valid. This service uses the same route to London Paddington as the Heathrow Express but is a slower, less frequent stopping train which also serves intermediate local stations in West London. It’s cheaper than the Heathrow Express and it serves Terminal 4 directly, but passengers needing to get to Terminal 5 have to change to a connecting service at Terminals 1 & 3. The Heathrow Connect [6] provides a convenient connection to London Underground’s Central Line at Ealing Broadway station. Trains depart Terminal 4 for London Paddington every 30 minutes (every 15 minutes to Terminals 1 & 3 only, for connection to the Heathrow Express), stop at Terminals 1 & 3, Hayes & Harlington, Southall, Hanwell, West Ealing and Ealing Broadway. Journey time from Terminal 4 to London Paddington is 33 minutes and 28 minutes from Terminals 1 & 3. The first train from Heathrow leaves at 05:23 and the last at 00:01.

The trains are air-conditioned, modern and accessible with a wheelchair area and disabled toilet. Although Heathrow and London Paddington stations have step free access, be aware that not all intermediate stations are wheelchair accessible. Audio and visual journey information is provided on-board. Mobile phone coverage is available throughout the route, including in the tunnels under Heathrow.

Fares must be purchased before boarding the train (tickets will be checked on board and those found not to be holding a ticket will have to pay a penalty fare) and can be bought at station ticket offices. A Heathrow to London Paddington Adult Single costs £6.90 (£13.80 Open Return). Child fares (5-15 years inclusive) are about half the adult fare. Under 5s travel free.

London Travelcards and Oyster Cards are not valid between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow Airport. Passengers holding a Travelcard or Oyster Card must buy an additional ticket for the journey between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow (£4.90 Adult Single).

SouthWest Trains

Bus link from Terminals 1, 2 & 3 (bus 285) and Terminals 4 & 5 (bus 490) to Feltham railway station. Trains every 20 minutes. Oyster cards are valid. Although a slower route, if you are heading for South London or West London suburbs, Richmond or Windsor, this could prove a useful shortcut. Regular bus services run from the airport to Feltham station (single fare £1) and a frequent east-west rail line runs between Reading and London Waterloo (single fare £5). Depending on the route, some trains take 30 minutes, others take 45 minutes, so it is advised to check the train times carefully if you are rushing to catch a plane. You must buy your train ticket before boarding as this is not an airport express train but a standard suburban rail service. You can use Oyster cards valid for zone 6 to use the train and bus on this route.

The Tube (London Underground)

London Underground’s Piccadilly Line Direct to Central London, up to every 5 minutes (dependent on terminal). The Piccadilly Line runs direct from all the terminals to the very centre of London, stopping at stations close to many of London’s landmarks, shopping and entertainment areas, as well as the major transport hub at King’s Cross St. Pancras. It stops frequently and is comparatively slow (60 minutes from Terminal 5 to King’s Cross St. Pancras vs 45 minutes using the Heathrow Express and changing to The Tube at Paddington). However, it is an integral part of Transport for London’s network so Travelcards and Oyster Cards are valid, making it a good value option. It’s also a fairly quick option if you want to get to much of West London.

Trains depart Terminals 4 & 5 every 10 minutes and stop at Terminals 1 & 3 before continuing to London, thus making the frequency from Terminals 1 & 3 every 5 minutes. Trains to & from Terminal 5 do not stop at T4 and trains to & from T4 do not stop at T5. Be aware that if you are heading from Central London to Terminals 1 & 3 then it is normally quicker to wait for a train which terminates at T5 as the trains to T4 wait there for up to 7 minutes before continuing to Terminals 1 & 3. T5 trains go directly to Terminals 1 & 3 first, then continue to T5. The Tube closes during the night and first trains leave Heathrow at about 6AM, last trains are about midnight.

As The Tube is a rapid transport system designed with short journeys in mind, the trains are not the most comfortable. However, from Heathrow there will almost always be seats available and luggage space is provided. There is space for wheelchairs and the Heathrow stations are accessible, but as The Tube is an old system originally built in the 19th century, very few stations in Central London are accessible to wheelchairs. Almost all involve negotiating stair cases and escalators. Earls Court is an exception and some other stations can be reached by wheelchair users by changing to alternate lines here. More stations are being adapted (King’s Cross St. Pancras is now accessible, for instance) and accessible stations are shown on the Tube Map available on TfL’s website [7]. Audio and visual journey information is provided on board.

The Tube is a closed system and nearly all stations have ticket barriers. Tickets should be bought at the station and the cost of a Zone 1 - 6 (Central London - Heathrow) single is £4.00. Penalty fares are in force for those caught without a valid ticket. Travelcards (day, or period tickets which allow unlimited travel on all of London’s public transport, not just The Tube) are available and will almost certainly provide better value if you plan on using London’s transport system more than a couple of times. The cheapest option for anyone spending much time in London will probably be to get an Oyster Card (a Transport for London travel smart-card), which is always cheaper than paying fares in cash. See the London article and Transport for London’s website [8] for more information on Oyster Cards and other available fares.

Coach

Every 30 minutes. Direct to London Victoria Coach Station. National Express [9] run a direct coach service from Heathrow Central Bus Station to London Victoria Coach Station every 30 minutes. Journey time is 40 to 50 minutes and fares are available from £4 if bought on The Internet. Tickets can also be bought from the National Express ticket office at Heathrow Bus station. Some services operate via Terminals 4 & 5, but the service is more limited. Free transfer is available to Terminals 1 & 3 and the Central Bus Station from Terminals 4 & 5 via the Heathrow Express and Connect trains or the shuttle bus services.

Not all coaches are accessible to wheelchairs yet. National Express expect their network to be fully accessible by 2012.

Services operate from approximately 07:00 to 23:30.

London Travelcards and Oyster Cards are not valid.

Dot2Dot

High quality, door-to-door, on demand shuttle bus service. Dot2Dot [10] is a new door-to-door shuttle bus service which can be booked in advance to take you from the airport terminal to your hotel or other destination in Central London or Canary Wharf, making only approximately three stops in between. You can book either on the Internet or by phone. You can also just turn up and the Dot2Dot desk at terminals 1,3,4 and 5, but you may have to wait a little while longer (30 min) for a vehicle with a space.

The journey takes between 40 and 70 minutes (avoiding traffic jams as it can use the bus lanes) and fares are a maximum of £19 for one person to central London with significant discounts for returns and given as more people travel.

If you’re thinking of taking a taxi you may find this a cheaper, quicker and almost as convenient alternative. More information can be found on the Dot2Dot [11] website.

London Travelcards and Oyster Cards are not valid.

Night bus

N9 Regular late night London Bus Service. During the night, when most of the rail and coach links (and the flights!) have stopped operating, one of the few ways you can get to & from Heathrow is by using the N9 night bus service, which operates to & from Aldwych in Central London via Hammersmith.

The service runs every 20 minutes on weeknights and takes around 1 hour, 10 minutes to Heathrow Central Bus Station and continues to Terminal 5. The service is operated using modern, accessible, low-floor busses with a wheelchair space.

The N9 is a normal Transport for London Night Bus service and so is subject to a flat cash fare of £2.00. All Travelcards and Oyster Cards are valid on London Bus services.

Bus services

Day time local buses to the areas surrounding Heathrow. In the day time there are no local bus services to Central London (that service is provided by The Tube), but there are plenty of services to areas of West London and outlying towns such as Slough and Maidenhead. Heathrow Airport publish a map [12] on their website showing the routes available.

Fares vary depending on the operator, but Transport for London services (red buses) are subject to the standard £2.00 flat fare when paying by cash (Travelcards and Oyster Cards are also valid on these buses).

If you really want to go by local bus during the day from central London (perhaps you have a bus pass not valid on trains or coaches), expect a journey time of about three hours, depending on exactly where you start from. If you're intrepid, use the TfL journey planner [13] to find details, times and (most importantly) where to change buses, which you may end up doing three or four times depending on where you start from and when you travel.

Taxi

Black Cabs - London’s famous black taxis - are available for hire outside each terminal. Journey time into Central London varies wildly depending on distance, time of day and traffic conditions. It can take anything from 40 minutes to 2 hours. Fares vary similarly, as a rough guide it could cost about £55 to Central London.

Mini-cabs (private hire cars) must be ordered in advance by phone (or Internet in some cases) and cost less than a black cab.

If you are thinking of taking a taxi into London then consider the Heathrow Express (you can pick up a taxi at Paddington Station to complete your journey) or Dot2Dot instead. They will probably be faster and cheaper, and almost as easy to use.

Public transport to the rest of the UK

By train

Heathrow does not yet have any direct rail services to anywhere outside of London, but making a connection in one of the Central London railways stations is quite easy. Heathrow is directly linked to London Paddington via Heathrow Express & Connect, London St. Pancras International and London King’s Cross via London Underground’s Piccadilly Line. London Euston is a short walk from St. Pancras/King’s Cross, or one stop away on a different Tube line. All of the other stations can be reached via The Tube network. See the London article for information on rail services from Central London.

Express coach links (branded RailAir) from Heathrow Central Bus Station operate to Reading, Watford Junction, Feltham and Woking stations to connect with train services. The Reading and Woking coaches serve Terminals 1 & 3 (via the Central Bus Station) & 5 directly, and the Watford Junction coach (Greenline service 724) serves all terminals.

The Feltham RailAir link is actually provided by local bus services rather than express coaches. Service 485 takes you to Hatton Cross for Terminal 4 and then on to the Central Bus Station for Terminals 1 & 3. Service 490 goes to Hatton Cross, then onto Terminal 5.

Through tickets are available to & from Heathrow Airport from any station in the UK, using either The Underground network, Heathrow Express or Connect from Central London or the RailAir coach links. If you want to use the Heathrow Express it’ll probably be cheaper to buy your ticket for it separately. Make sure you specify the method you want to use to reach Heathrow when you buy your rail ticket.

For information, time and fares for trains to & from Heathrow Airport see the National Rail Enquires website [14].

Coach

National Express operate direct coach services from Heathrow to many cities around the UK, as well as direct links to all of the other London airports. Most coaches serve Terminal 5 as well as the Central Bus Station, some stop at Terminal 4. See the National Express [15] website for information, times and pricing.

Oxford Bus operate a 24 hour frequent (every 20 minutes during the day) coach shuttle service to & from Oxford called The Airline. Adult fares are £18 single, £23 period return. Further information can be found of the Oxford Bus website [16].

Taxi transfers

There are many airport transfer services that provide personal transport services to Heathrow Airport. All transport companies that operate transfer services must be licensed with the relevent local authority. Drivers are issued a badge after undergoing various checks and vehicles are issued licenses confirming that they have passed rigourous safety checks and have the correct insurance in place. Drivers and vehicles are licensed as either Hackney Carriages or Private Hire, each one is covered by different regulations. When booking an airport transfer you should always check that the company has a license from the council. This is paticularly important when booking over the internet or over the phone. Booking directly with a taxi company rather than with an online booking agency will usually be more cost effective. [17]

As it's such a massive, sprawling place Heathrow has a significant internal transport system so people can get around. All travel within the airport boundary on local bus and Heathrow Express & Connect trains is free. Terminals 1 & 3, as well as the Central Bus Station are all in the 'Central Terminal Area' and are within walking distance, linked by underground tunnels with tavelators. The Central Terminal Area is in the middle of the airport between the runways, Terminal 4 is in the south-eastern corner of the airport, beyond the southern runway and Terminal 5 is in the far west of the airport, between the runways. To get from the Central Terminal Area to Terminal 4 you can take the the free Heathrow Connect train (every 15 minutes) or a bus. Similarly to get from the Central Terminal Area to Terminal 5 you can take the free Heathrow Express train (every 15 minutes) or a bus. To transfer between Terminal 4 & 5 there is either a direct bus service or you can take the train to the Central Terminal Area and change.

If you are connecting to another flight airside there is a network of free busses that will take you between terminals (if you need to change terminal).

Eat

There are restaurants and fast food outlets in the departure areas of all five terminals, though, like most airports, the food can be overpriced.

Terminal 1

Budget

• Boots, 06:00 - 22:00, sell a limited range of pre-packed sandwiches, salads and bottled drinks at a very good price. Located in departures, before security and after security for international flights.

• Costa, 05:30 - 23:00, serves fresh coffee, tea, hot drinks, sandwiches and pastries. Located before security, in both domestic and international departure areas after security, and in the arrivals hall.

• Wetherspoons, 05:30 until last flight, serves a wide range of hot and cold pub food at a fair price (for London) as well as a large selection of beers and other alcoholic drinks. A traditional cooked English breakfast costs around £6 and will keep you going for most of the day. Family friendly. Located before and after security in the domestic departure area.

Mid-range

• The Bridge Bar, 06:00 until last flight. A modern bar serving a variety of pub food, including cooked breakfast. Located after security in the international departure area.

• Caffe Nero, 05:30 until last flight, serves fresh coffee, tea, hot drinks and Italian style sandwiches and pastries. Located after security in the international departure area.

• Giraffe, 06:00 until last flight, an alternative restaurant with a very up beat atmosphere and style. Serves food from around the world, including cooked breakfasts, curry dishes, pizza, sandwiches, fish and chips, salads, burgers, grilled steak and everything else they've got. Prices aren't too expensive. Located after security in the international departure area.

Splurge

• Caviar House & Prunier Seafood Bar, 07:00 - 21:00, serves caviar, smoked salmon and seafood. Located after security in the international departure area.

Terminal 3

Budget

• Boots, 06:00 - 22:00, sell a limited range of pre-packed sandwiches, salads and bottled drinks at a very good price. Located in departures, both before and after security, and in the arrivals hall.

• Costa, 24 hours, serves fresh coffee, tea, hot drinks, sandwiches and pastries. Located in departures, before security.

• O'Neills, 06:00 until last flight. An Irish bar, which sells a range of reasonably priced pub meals with your pint of Guinness. Located after security.

• AMT Coffee, 24 hours. A coffee shop which also serves a range of snacks. Located in the arrivals hall.

Mid-range

• Marks & Spencer Simply Food, 06:00 - 22:00, sell a large range of pre-packed, sandwiches, salads, cakes pastries and bottled drinks. Not cheap, but good quality and value, after all - it's not just food! Located in the arrivals hall.

• Garfunkel's, 06:00 - 23:00, serves a range of British and American food including decent breakfasts. Located in departures, before security.

• Eat., 05:00 - 21:00, serve fresh, simple, seasonal sandwiches, soup, salad and cakes, bottled drinks and tea & fresh coffee to eat in or take away. Located after security.

Splurge

• Brasserie Chez Gérard, 07:00 until last flight, serves a range French food and drink in a casual atmosphere. Located after security.

• Caviar House & Prunier Seafood Bar, 07:00 - 21:00, serves caviar, smoked salmon and seafood. Located after security.

Terminal 4

Budget

• Boots, 06:00 - 22:00, sell a limited range of pre-packed sandwiches, salads and bottled drinks at a very good price. Located in departures, both before and after security.

• Costa, 05:30 until last flight, serves fresh coffee, tea, hot drinks, sandwiches and pastries. Located after security.

• AMT Coffee, 07:00 - 22:00. A coffee shop which also serves a range of snacks. Located both before and after security.

• Wetherspoons, 06:00 until last flight, serves a wide range of hot and cold pub food at a fair price (for London) as well as a large selection of beers and other alcoholic drinks. A traditional cooked English breakfast costs around £6 and will keep you going for most of the day. Family friendly. Located before and after security.

Mid-range

• Caffe Nero, 24 hours, serves fresh coffee, tea, hot drinks and italian style sandwiches and pastries. Located before security.

• Garfunkel's, 06:30 until last flight, serves a range of British and American food including decent breakfasts. Located after security.

• Est Bar Deli, 06:30 until last flight. Coffee, cocktails, wines and beer good quality freshly made sandwiches and salads. A good substitute for the lack of an Eat. in T4, and it sells alcohol too. Located after security.

Splurge

• Caviar House & Prunier Seafood Bar, 08:00 - 20:00, serves caviar, smoked salmon and seafood. Located after security.

Terminal 5

Budget

Heathrow Airport and British Airways are trying to give their new terminal a feeling of quality so you won't find any of your regular, cheap high-street fast food joints in T5. There are a few places where you can grab a bite to eat without breaking the bank though:

• Boots, 06:00 until last flight, sell a limited range of pre-packed sandwiches, salads and bottled drinks at a very good price. Located in departures, both before and after security.

• Costa, 24 hours, serves fresh coffee, tea, hot drinks, sandwiches and pastries. Located in the middle of the arrivals concourse.

• Wetherspoons, 05:30 until last departure, serves a wide range of hot and cold pub food at a fair price (for London) as well as a large selection of beers and other alcoholic drinks. A traditional cooked English breakfast costs around £6 and will keep you going for most of the day. Family friendly. Located after security in T5 and T5B.

Mid-range

• Caffe Nero, 05:30 until last flight, serves fresh coffee, tea, hot drinks and italian style sandwiches and pastries. Located on the departures level in the north of the check-in area. Has great views of the northern runway.

• Marks & Spencer Simply Food, 05:30 until last flight, sell a large range of pre-packed, sandwiches, salads, cakes pastries and bottled drinks. Not cheap, but good quality and value, after all - it's not just food! Located on the arrivals concourse.

• Giraffe, 05:30 until last flight, an alternative restaurant with a very up beat atmosphere and style. Serves food from around the world, including cooked breakfasts, curry dishes, pizza, sandwiches, fish and chips, salads, burgers, grilled steak and everything else they've got. Prices aren't too expensive. Located after security.

• Eat., 05:30 until last flight, serve fresh, simple, seasonal sandwiches, soup, salad and cakes, bottled drinks and tea & fresh coffee to eat in or take away. Located after security.

Splurge

• Gordon Ramsay Plane Food, 05:30 until last flight. An airport restaurant from the 3 michelin star celebrity chef based on the Boxwood Cafe. Breakfast menu is available until 11:00. Serves a range of fine food tailored toward to needs of airport customers, example dishes include "Foie gras and chicken liver parfait, celeriac remoulade, toasted country bread" as a starter, "Escalope of veal, lemon, capers and a nut brown butter" main and "Valhrona chocolate fondue with banana, marshmallows and waffle" desert. Casual dress code. Not cheap. Located on the south side of the terminal after security.

• Huxleys, 05:30 until last flight, serves great traditional British food and drink, including afternoon tea. Located after security.

• Caviar House & Prunier Seafood Bar, 05:30 until last flight, serves caviar, smoked salmon and seafood. Located in T5 and T5B, after security.

• YOTEL, YOTEL London Heathrow Airport, Arrivals Mezzanine Landside, Terminal 4, [18]. Booking by the hour for a minimum of four hours.  edit

Contact

Internet access

All terminal buildings have Wi-Fi hot spots provided by BT Openzone, The Cloud and T-Mobile. Pay-As-You-Go prices start from £4.50 for 60 minutes with The Cloud. BT Openzone offer a pay-per-minute service which costs 20p per minutes' usage.

Free Wi-Fi is available in the various British Airways lounges, the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Clubhouse, the BMI (British Midland) Gold lounge and the KLM Holideck lounge.

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