London Heathrow Airport


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London Heathrow Airport

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

Located 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) west of Central London, Heathrow has two parallel main runways spanning east-to-west and 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. Terminals 3 and 4 underwent major refurbishments that began in 2007 and were completed in 2009. In November 2007 a consultation process began for the building of a new third runway and a sixth terminal and it was controversially approved on 15 January 2009 by UK Government ministers.

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

Location

A Qantas Boeing 747-400 on approach to London Heathrow

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

Heathrow is one of seven 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. 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.
    * 1944: Construction of runways began, on land originally acquired from the vicar of Harmondsworth. The new airport was built by Wimpey Construction, 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.
    * 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
    * 1946: The first BOAC scheduled flight departed for Australia. This route was operated as a joint route with Qantas.
    * 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). These terminal buildings were built in the middle of the star pattern of runways, thus forcing need for an access tunnel under the runways.
    * 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. 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
    * 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.
    * 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

Heathrow in 1965. Nearest the camera are two BOAC aircraft - a Vickers VC10 (with the high tail) and a Boeing 707.

Heathrow in the 1960s


	* 1970: Terminal 3 was expanded with the addition of an arrivals building. Other facilities were also added, including the UK's first moving walkways. 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. * Early 1980s: 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. * 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 and six other UK airports. * 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. * 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.


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