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{{redirect-multi|2|Heathrow|LHR}}
LHR
{{EngvarB|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox airport
| name =Heathrow Airport
| nativename =
| image = Heathrow Logo 2013.svg
| image-width = 200
| image2 = London_-_Heathrow_(LHR_-_EGLL)_AN1572653.jpg
| IATA = LHR
| ICAO = EGLL
| image2-width = 250
| location = {{nowrap|[[London Borough of Hillingdon]]}}
| hub = [[British Airways]]
| focus_city =
| pushpin_label = LHR/EGLL
| r1-surface = Grooved [[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]]
| metric-rwy = yes
| coordinates = {{coord|51|28|39|N|000|27|41|W|region:GB-HIL|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map = Greater London
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within [[Greater London]]
| type = Public
| owner = [[Heathrow Airport Holdings]]
| operator = Heathrow Airport Limited
| city-served = [[London]], [[United Kingdom]]
| elevation-f = 83
| website = {{url|www.heathrow.com}}
| r1-number = 09L/27R
| r1-length-m = 3,902
| r2-number = 09R/27L
| r2-length-m = 3,660
| r2-surface = Grooved [[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]]
| r3-number = 3rd Runway (Expected in 2025)
| r3-length-m = 3,500
| r3-surface = Grooved [[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]]
| stat-year = 2015
| stat1-header = Passengers
| stat1-data = 74,985,748
| stat2-header = Passenger change 14–15
| stat2-data = {{increase}}2.2%
| stat3-header = Aircraft movements
| stat3-data = 474,087
| stat4-header = Movements change 14–15
| stat4-data = {{increase}}2.7%
| footnotes = Sources:<br />Statistics from the [[Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom)|UK Civil Aviation Authority]]<ref name="stats">{{cite web |url=http://www.caa.co.uk/Data-and-analysis/UK-aviation-market/Airports/Datasets/ |title=Aircraft and passenger traffic data from UK airports |publisher=[[Civil Aviation Authority (United Kingdom)|UK Civil Aviation Authority]] |date=25 March 2016 |accessdate=3 April 2016}}</ref>
}}


'''Heathrow Airport''' {{Airport codes|LHR|EGLL}} is a major [[international airport]] outside [[London]], England. Heathrow is the [[List of the world's busiest airports by international passenger traffic|third busiest airport in the world]] by international passenger traffic (surpassed by [[Dubai International Airport|Dubai International]] in 2014,<ref>{{Cite news|url = http://www.thenational.ae/business/aviation/its-official-dubai-international-is-worlds-busiest-airport|title = Dubai International is world’s busiest airport|last = Iyer|first = Srinivasan|date = 30 December 2014|work = The National|access-date = 4 January 2015}}</ref> and [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong International]] in 2016), as well as the [[List of the busiest airports in Europe|busiest airport in Europe by passenger traffic]], and [[World's busiest airports by passenger traffic|sixth busiest airport in the world]] by total passenger traffic. In 2015, it handled a record 75 million passengers, a 2.2 percent increase from 2014.<ref name="stats"/>
[[Category:Airport]]
 
[[Category:U.K]]
Heathrow lies {{convert|14|mi|lk=in}} west of [[Central London]],<ref name="aip">{{cite web|url=http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/public/index.php%3Foption=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=94&Itemid=143.html |title=London Heathrow – EGLL |publisher=NATS Aeronautical Information Service |accessdate=21 April 2011}}</ref> and has two parallel east–west runways along with four operational [[Airport terminal|terminals]] on a site that covers {{convert|12.27|km2|sqmi}}. The airport is owned and operated by [[Heathrow Airport Holdings]], which itself is owned by FGP TopCo Limited, an international consortium led by [[Ferrovial]] that also includes [[Qatar Holding LLC]], [[Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec]], [[Government of Singapore Investment Corporation]], Alinda Capital Partners, [[China Investment Corporation]] and [[Universities Superannuation Scheme]] (USS).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heathrow.com/company/company-news-and-information/company-information|title=Company information|accessdate=4 March 2016}}</ref> London Heathrow is the primary hub for [[British Airways]] and the primary operating base for [[Virgin Atlantic]].
[[Category:London]]
 
In September 2012, the [[Government of the United Kingdom|UK government]] established the [[Airports Commission]], an independent commission chaired by [[Howard Davies (economist)|Sir Howard Davies]] to examine various options for increasing capacity at UK airports. The commission shortlisted two options for expanding Heathrow in its interim report in 2013, along with a third option for expanding [[Gatwick Airport]].<ref name="BBC-shortlist">{{cite news|title=Airports Commission reveals expansion shortlist|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25402007|accessdate=12 February 2015|publisher=BBC News|date=17 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="Gov-shortlist">{{cite web|title=Airports Commission publishes consultation on shortlisted options for a new runway|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/airports-commission-publishes-consultation-on-shortlisted-options-for-a-new-runway|publisher=Gov.uk|accessdate=12 February 2015|date=11 November 2014}}</ref> The final report, published on 1 July 2015, backed a third runway at Heathrow.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/heathrow-airport-expansion-commission-report-backs-third-runway-10356684.html | location=London | work=The Independent | first=Simon | last=Calder | title=Heathrow Airport expansion: Commission report backs third runway | date=1 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jun/26/heathrow-gatwick-expansion-davies-report-frequent-flyers-aviation|title=Forget Heathrow expansion, Davies report should tackle frequent flyers|author=Andrew Simms|work=the Guardian}}</ref> The government approved a third runway on 25 October 2016.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37760187|title=Third runway at Heathrow cleared for takeoff by ministers|publisher=BBC News|date=25 October 2016|accessdate=25 October 2016}}</ref>
 
==Location==
[[File:Qantas b747 over houses arp.jpg|thumb|A [[Qantas]] [[Boeing 747-400]] on approach to London Heathrow 27L runway.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Myrtle+Avenue,+Hounslow&hl=en&ll=51.463226,-0.426833&spn=0.000679,0.001742&sll=51.510238,-0.427437&sspn=0.173718,0.445976&oq=Myrtle+Avenue&t=h&hnear=Myrtle+Ave,+Hounslow,+Greater+London+TW14+9,+United+Kingdom&z=20&layer=c&cbll=51.463185,-0.426757&panoid=qOEaWcnARVDAyhZhSJbahg&cbp=12,347.73,,0,5.54 |title=Myrtle Avenue, Hounslow |publisher=Google Maps |accessdate=26 March 2013}}</ref>]]
Heathrow is {{convert|14|mi|abbr=on}} west of central London,<ref name="aip"/> 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, London|Harlington]], [[Harmondsworth]], [[Longford, London|Longford]] and [[Cranford, London|Cranford]] to the north and by [[Hounslow]] and [[Hatton, London|Hatton]] to the east. To the south lie [[Bedfont]] and [[Stanwell]] while to the west Heathrow is separated from [[Slough]] in Berkshire by the [[M25 motorway]]. Heathrow falls entirely under the [[TW postcode area]].
 
As the airport is west of London and as its runways run east–west, an airliner's landing approach is usually directly over the conurbation of London when the wind is from the west.
 
Along with [[Gatwick Airport|Gatwick]], [[London Stansted Airport|Stansted]], [[Luton Airport|Luton]], [[London Southend Airport|Southend]] and [[London City Airport|London City]], Heathrow is one of six airports with scheduled services serving the London area, although only Heathrow and London City are within [[Greater London]].
{{Clear left}}
 
==History==
[[File:Aerial photograph of Heathrow Airport, 1955.jpg|thumb|right| Aerial photo of Heathrow Airport from the 1950s, before the terminals were built]]
<!-- The history of Heathrow Airport is now described in [[History of London Heathrow Airport]]. Please keep this stub as a short stub and do not let it expand into [[WP:Content forking]]. -->
:''For a chronicled history of Heathrow Airport, see [[History of London Heathrow Airport]].''
Heathrow Airport origins date from 1929 as a small airfield ([[Great West Aerodrome]]) on land southeast of the hamlet of [[Heathrow (hamlet)|Heathrow]] from which the airport takes its name. At that time there were farms, [[market garden]]s and [[orchard]]s there: there was a "Heathrow Farm" about where Terminal 1 is now, a "Heathrow Hall" and a "Heathrow House". This hamlet was largely along a country lane (Heathrow Road) which ran roughly along the east and south edges of the present central terminals area.
 
Development of the whole Heathrow area as a very much larger airfield began in 1944: it was stated to be for long-distance military aircraft bound for the Far East. But by the time the airfield was nearing completion, [[World War II]] had ended. The government continued to develop the airfield as a civil airport; opened as London Airport in 1946 and renamed Heathrow Airport in 1966. The masterplan for the airport was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd, who designed the original terminals and central area buildings, including the original control tower and multi-faith chapel of St George's.
 
==Operations==
===Facilities===
[[File:TerminalFiveAirportHeathrowAugust2012.JPG|thumb|Central waiting area in [[Heathrow Terminal 5|Terminal 5]]]]
[[File:concorde g-boab in storage arp.jpg|thumb|[[Concorde]] G-BOAB in storage at Heathrow]]
[[File:Four aircraft on the approach to LHR runway 09L 10Sep2015 arp.jpg|thumb|Four aircraft on the approach to Heathrow runway 09L]]
[[File:London Heathrow tower and Virgin B747 (5048342074) (2).jpg|thumb|Heathrow's control tower]]
[[File:Heathrow Terminal 5C Iwelumo-1.jpg|thumb|British Airways aircraft at [[Heathrow Terminal 5|Terminal 5C]]]]
Heathrow Airport is used by over 80 airlines flying to 185 destinations in 84 countries. The airport is the primary [[Airline hub|hub]] of British Airways and is a base for [[Virgin Atlantic]]. It has four passenger terminals (numbered 2 to 5) and a cargo terminal. Of Heathrow's 73.4&nbsp;million passengers in 2014, 93% were international travellers; the remaining 7% were bound for UK destinations.<ref name=Facts>{{cite web |url=http://www.heathrowairport.com/about-us/company-news-and-information/company-information/facts-and-figures |title=Facts and figures |publisher=Heathrow Airport |accessdate=12 February 2015}}</ref> The busiest single destination in passenger numbers is New York, with over 3&nbsp;million passengers flying between Heathrow and JFK Airport in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data/2013Annual/Table_12_1_Intl_Air_Pax_Route_Analysis_2013.pdf |title=International Air Passenger Traffic To and From Reporting Airports for 2013 |page=68 |publisher=Civil Aviation Authority |accessdate=12 February 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704161033/https://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data/2013Annual/Table_12_1_Intl_Air_Pax_Route_Analysis_2013.pdf |archivedate=4 July 2015 |df=dmy }}</ref>
 
In the 1950s, Heathrow had six runways, arranged in three pairs at different angles in the shape of a [[hexagram]] (<big>✡</big>) with the permanent passenger terminal in the middle and the older terminal along the north edge of the field; two of its runways would always be within 30° of the wind direction. As the required length for runways has grown, Heathrow now has only two parallel runways running east–west. These are extended versions of the two east–west runways from the original hexagram. From the air, almost all of the original runways can still be seen, incorporated into the present system of taxiways. North of the northern runway and the former taxiway and aprons, now the site of extensive car parks, is the entrance to the access tunnel and the site of Heathrow's unofficial "[[gate guardian]]". For many years the home of a 40% scale model of a British Airways [[Concorde]], G-CONC, the site has been occupied by a model of an Emirates [[Airbus A380]] since 2008.<ref>{{cite news |title=Heathrow Concorde model removed |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6509667.stm |newspaper=BBC News |date=30 March 2007 |accessdate=2 October 2016}}</ref>
 
Heathrow Airport has [[Church of England|Anglican]], [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]], [[Nonconformist|free church]], [[Hinduism|Hindu]], [[Jewish]], [[Muslim]] and [[Sikhism|Sikh]] chaplains. There is a [[multifaith space|multi-faith prayer room]] and counselling room in each terminal, in addition to [[St George's Interdenominational Chapel, Heathrow Airport|St. George's Interdenominational Chapel]] in an underground vault adjacent to the old control tower, where Christian services take place. The chaplains organise and lead prayers at certain times in the prayer room.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.heathrowairport.com/heathrow-airport-guide/services-and-facilities/worship |title=Prayer and Worship |publisher=Heathrow Airport |accessdate=27 January 2013}}</ref>
 
The 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.<ref name="Ref_n">{{cite news |url= http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/07/13/bt.citytips/index.html |title= Heathrow's hidden gems |publisher=CNN |date=13 July 2007 |accessdate=21 April 2011}}</ref>
 
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).
 
===Flight movements===
Aircraft destined for Heathrow are usually routed over one of four main reporting points: [[Bovingdon stack|Bovingdon]] ''(BNN)'' in [[Hertfordshire]], Lambourne ''(LAM)'' in [[Essex]], Biggin Hill ''(BIG)'' in [[Bromley]] and Ockham ''(OCK)'' in [[Surrey]].<ref name="Ref_2008a">{{Cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7196158.stm |title= Landing at Heathrow |publisher=BBC News |date=18 January 2008 |accessdate=20 January 2008}}</ref> Each is defined by a [[VHF omnidirectional range|VOR]] radio-navigational beacon. When the airport is busy, aircraft orbit in the associated [[holding (aviation)|hold]] patterns. These holding areas lie to the northwest, northeast, southeast and southwest of the London conurbation. Aircraft hold between 7,000 feet and 15,000 feet at 1,000 foot intervals. If these holds become full, aircraft are held at more distant points before being cleared onward to one of the four main holds.
 
[[Air traffic controller]]s 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 {{convert|2.5|NM}} apart. Considerable use is made of [[continuous descent approach]] techniques to minimise the environmental effects of incoming aircraft, particularly at night.<ref name="Heathrow2004">{{Cite journal |author=BAA Heathrow |title=Flight Evaluation Report 2004/05 |date=2004–2005 |url= http://www.heathrowairport.com/assets//B2CPortal/Static%20Files/New2005Booklet.pdf |accessdate=2 November 2007}}</ref> Once an aircraft is established on its final approach, control is handed over to Heathrow Tower.
 
When runway alternation was introduced, aircraft generated significantly more noise on departure than when landing, so a preference for westerly operations during daylight was introduced, which continues to this day.<ref name="Ref_o">During periods of westerly operation, aircraft continue to fly in a westerly direction with an easterly tailwind component of up to {{convert|5|kn|km/h mph}}, if the runway is dry and there is no significant crosswind.</ref> 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 landings are easterly there is no alternation; 09L remains the landing runway and 09R the departure runway due to the legacy of the now rescinded [[Cranford Agreement]], pending taxiway works to allow the roles to be reversed. Occasionally, landings are allowed on the nominated departure runway, to help reduce airborne delays and to position landing aircraft closer to their terminal, reducing taxi times.
 
Night-time flights at Heathrow are subject to [[Night flying restrictions|restrictions]]. Between 23:00 and 04:00, the noisiest aircraft (rated [[Quota Count system|QC]]/8 and QC/16) cannot be scheduled for operation. In addition, during the night quota period (23:30–06:00) there are four 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;<ref name="Ref_p">{{cite web |title=Noise limits |url= http://www.heathrowairport.com/noise/what-we-do-about-it/measures-already-in-place/noise-limits |publisher=Heathrow Airport |accessdate=27 January 2013}}</ref>
* QC/4 aircraft cannot be scheduled for operation.
* A voluntary agreement with the airlines that no early morning arrivals will be scheduled to land before 04:30.
 
A trial of "noise relief zones" ran from December 2012 to March 2013, which concentrated approach flight paths into defined areas compared with the existing paths which were spread out. The zones used alternated weekly, meaning residents in the "no-fly" areas received respite from aircraft noise for set periods.<ref>{{cite news |title=Heathrow begins trial of noise relief zones |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20591037 |publisher=BBC News |date=4 December 2012 |accessdate=28 January 2013}}</ref> However, it was concluded that some residents in other areas experienced a significant disbenefit as a result of the trial and that it should therefore not be taken forward in its current form. Heathrow received more than 25,000 noise complaints in just three months over the summer of 2016, but around half were made by the same ten people.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/half-of-heathrow-noise-complaints-made-by-just-10-people/ | title = Half of Heathrow's 25,000 noise complaints made by the same 10 people | date=1 November 2016 | accessdate = 2 November 2016 | publisher = ''The Telegraph'' | author = Hugh Morris}}</ref>
 
===Regulation===
{{Further information|Landing slot}}
Until it was required to sell Gatwick and Stansted Airports, Heathrow Airport Holdings held a dominant position in the London aviation market, and has been heavily regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as to how much it can charge airlines to land. The annual increase in [[Landing fee|landing charge]] per passenger was capped at inflation minus 3% until 1 April 2003. From 2003 to 2007 charges increased by inflation plus 6.5% per year, taking the fee to £9.28 per passenger in 2007. In March 2008, the CAA announced that the charge would be allowed to increase by 23.5% to £12.80 from 1 April 2008 and by inflation plus 7.5% for each of the following four years.<ref name="Ref_r">{{cite news |title=IATA attacks higher landing charges at British airports |date= 12 March 2008 |agency=Agence France-Presse |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20131102083857/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5izyYRsZKFHEIOR6WYbdtInUOLqgA?hl=en |archivedate= 2 November 2013 |deadurl=no |url= http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5izyYRsZKFHEIOR6WYbdtInUOLqgA |accessdate=14 March 2008}}</ref> In April 2013, the CAA announced a proposal for Heathrow to charge fees calculated by inflation minus 1.3%, continuing until 2019.<ref>{{cite news |title=Heathrow and Gatwick face new airline fee caps |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22349054 |publisher=BBC News |date=30 April 2013 |accessdate=26 May 2013}}</ref> Whilst the cost of landing at Heathrow is determined by the CAA and Heathrow Airport Holdings, the allocation of [[landing slot]]s to airlines is carried out by Airport Co-ordination Limited (ACL).<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.heathrowairport.com/static/HeathrowAboutUs/Downloads/PDF/Economic_regulation_of_Heathrow_and_Gatwick_airports.pdf |title=Economic Regulation of Heathrow and Gatwick Airports 2008–2013 |date=11 March 2008 |publisher=Civil Aviation Authority |accessdate=18 February 2013}}</ref>
 
Until 2008, air traffic between Heathrow and the United States was strictly governed by the countries' bilateral [[Bermuda II Agreement|Bermuda II]] treaty. The treaty originally allowed only British Airways, [[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]] and [[Trans World Airlines|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 relation to its EU membership, and as a consequence the UK was ordered to drop the agreement in 2004. A new "[[EU–US Open Skies Agreement|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. Shortly afterwards, additional US airlines, including [[Northwest Airlines]], [[Continental Airlines]], [[US Airways]] and [[Delta Air Lines]] started services to Heathrow.
 
The airport has been criticised in recent years for overcrowding and delays;<ref name="Ref_2007">{{Cite news |title=BA boss joins attack on Heathrow |publisher=BBC News |date=1 August 2007 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6926150.stm |accessdate=28 October 2007}}</ref> according to Heathrow Airport Holdings, Heathrow's facilities were originally designed to accommodate 55 million passengers annually. The number of passengers using the airport reached a record 70 million in 2012.<ref>{{cite news |title=Heathrow airport hits record 70 million passengers |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21496856 |publisher=BBC News |date=18 February 2013 |accessdate=18 February 2013}}</ref> 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= London |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&nbsp;million passengers per year. A tie-up is also in place with McLaren Applied Technologies to optimise the general procedure, reducing delays and pollution.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Work Smarter: McLaren |date=1 March 2010 |url= http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2010/04/features/work-smarter-mclaren |work=Wired |accessdate=18 February 2013}}</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 |date=February 2002 |url= http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/5/ergdocs/baajan03/acl2baajan03.pdf |accessdate=13 January 2008}}</ref> To increase the number of flights, Heathrow Airport Holdings has proposed using the existing two runways in 'mixed mode' whereby aircraft would be allowed to take off and land on the same runway. This would increase the airport's capacity from its current 480,000 movements per year to as many as 550,000 according to British Airways CEO [[Willie Walsh (Irish businessman)|Willie Walsh]].<ref name="Ref_t">{{cite news |url= http://www.uk-airport-news.info/heathrow-airport-news-161206a.htm |title=BA pushes for 'mixed mode' at Heathrow |work=UK Airport News |accessdate=31 May 2008}}</ref> Heathrow Airport Holdings has also proposed building a third runway to the north of the airport, which would significantly increase traffic capacity (see [[#Future expansion and plans|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}} {{subscription required}}</ref>
 
===Security===
Policing of the airport is the responsibility of the [[Aviation Security Operational Command Unit|aviation security]] unit of the [[Metropolitan Police Service|Metropolitan Police]], although [[British Army|the army]], including armoured vehicles of the [[Household Cavalry]], has occasionally been deployed at the airport during periods of heightened security.
 
[[Full body scanner]]s are now used at the airport, and passengers who object to their use after being selected are required to submit to a hand search in a private room.<ref name="scanners" /> The scanners display passengers' bodies as a cartoon-style figure, with indicators showing where concealed items may be.<ref name="scanners">{{cite web |url= http://www.heathrowairport.com/heathrow-airport-guide/heathrow-security/faqs |title=Security (body) scanners |publisher=Heathrow Airport |accessdate=27 January 2013}}</ref> The new imagery was introduced initially as a trial in September 2011 following complaints over privacy.<ref>{{cite news |title=Airport body scanners: Heathrow trials new 'privacy friendly' security technology |url= http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2033918/Airport-body-scanners-Heathrow-trials-new-privacy-friendly-security-technology.html |newspaper=Daily Mail |location= London |date=5 September 2011 |accessdate=28 June 2013}}</ref>
 
==Terminals==
===Terminal 1 ''(Closed)''===
{{Main article|Heathrow Terminal 1}}
The former Terminal 1, which closed in June 2015, originally opened in 1968 and was formally inaugurated by [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] in April 1969.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mediacentre.heathrow.com/pressrelease/details/81/Corporate-operational-24/4711|title=Heathrow - Heathrow bids farewell to Terminal 1|first=|last=Heathrow|publisher=}}</ref><ref name="Ref_w">''Above Us The Skies: The Story Of BAA'' – 1991 (Michael Donne – BAA plc), p. 40</ref> Before Terminal 5 opened, Terminal 1 was the Heathrow base for British Airways' domestic and European network and for a few of its long haul routes. The airline's owner [[International Airlines Group]]'s acquisition of BMI ([[British Midland International]]) in 2012 meant British Airways took over BMI's short-haul and medium-haul destinations from the terminal.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Walton|first1=John|title=British Airways takes over, rebrands BMI lounge at Heathrow T1|url=http://www.ausbt.com.au/british-airways-takes-over-rebrands-bmi-lounge-at-heathrow-t1|accessdate=2 July 2015|work=Australian Business Traveller|date=31 May 2012}}</ref>
 
The site of Terminal 1 is being used for an extension to Terminal 2,<ref>{{cite news|title=Heathrow Terminal One deserted ahead of closure next month|url=http://www.itv.com/news/london/2015-05-28/heathrow-terminal-one-deserted-ahead-of-closure-next-month/|accessdate=1 July 2015|work=ITV News|date=28 May 2015}}</ref> which opened in June 2014. A number of newer boarding gates initially used by Terminal 1 were built as part of the Terminal 2 development and are being retained as part of Terminal 2.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Calder|first1=Simon|title=Heathrow and Gatwick: Terminal confusion at London's airports|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/heathrow-and-gatwick-terminal-confusion-at-londons-airports-9997793.html|accessdate=8 June 2015|work=The Independent|date=23 January 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Paylor|first1=Anne|title=London Heathrow turns out the lights in Terminal 1|url=http://atwonline.com/airports-routes/london-heathrow-turns-out-lights-terminal-1|publisher=[[Air Transport World]]|date=29 June 2015|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630124041/http://atwonline.com/airports-routes/london-heathrow-turns-out-lights-terminal-1|archivedate=30 June 2015}}</ref> British Airways was the last operator in Terminal 1. Two flights of this carrier, one departing to [[Hannover]] and one arriving from [[Baku]], marked the terminal closure on 29 June 2015. British Airways operations have been relocated to Terminals 3 and 5.<ref name="Heathrow shuts doors on Terminal 1 flights">{{cite news|title=Heathrow shuts doors on Terminal 1 flights |first1=James |last1=Mellon |location=[[London]] |publisher=[[Flightglobal]] |date=30 June 2015 |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/heathrow-shuts-doors-on-terminal-1-flights-414153/ |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715015351/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/heathrow-shuts-doors-on-terminal-1-flights-414153/ |archivedate=15 July 2015 |df=dmy }}&nbsp;</ref>
 
===Terminal 2===
[[File:Heathrow T2 central overview.jpg|thumb|[[Heathrow Terminal 2|Terminal 2]] central departures area]]
{{Main article|Heathrow Terminal 2}}
The airport's newest terminal, officially known as the Queen's Terminal, was opened on 4 June 2014.<ref>{{cite news|title= United is first airline to fly out of Heathrow Airport's new T2|first= Linda|last= Blachly|work= [[Air Transport World]]|date= 4 June 2014|url= http://atwonline.com/airports-routes/united-first-airline-fly-out-heathrow-airport-s-new-t2|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140604143219/http://atwonline.com/airports-routes/united-first-airline-fly-out-heathrow-airport-s-new-t2|archivedate= 4 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Heathrow Terminal 2 named Queen's Terminal|publisher= [[BBC News]]|date= 14 June 2013|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22899336|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140426133905/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-22899336|archivedate= 26 April 2014 }}</ref> Designed by Spanish architect [[Luis Vidal]], it was built on the site previously occupied by the original Terminal 2 and the Queens Building.<ref name=BBCT2open>{{cite news |title= Heathrow airport's new Terminal 2 opens to passengers |publisher= BBC News |date= 23 November 2009 |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-27691651 |accessdate=4 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= New London Heathrow T2 opening set for June 4|first= Kurt|last= Hofmann|work= [[Air Transport World]]|date= 28 May 2014 |url= http://atwonline.com/airports-routes/new-london-heathrow-t2-opening-set-june-4|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140529105810/http://atwonline.com/airports-routes/new-london-heathrow-t2-opening-set-june-4|archivedate= 29 May 2014 }}</ref> The main complex was completed in November 2013 and underwent six months of testing before opening to passengers. It includes a satellite pier (T2B), a 1,340-space car park, an energy centre{{clarifyme|date=December 2016}} and a cooling station to generate chilled water. There are 52 shops and 17 bars and restaurants.<ref>{{cite press release|title= The new Terminal 2: Only one year to go|publisher= Heathrow Airport|date= 4 June 2013|url= http://mediacentre.heathrowairport.com/Press-releases/The-new-Terminal-2-Only-one-year-to-go-585.aspx|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140426135108/http://mediacentre.heathrowairport.com/Press-releases/The-new-Terminal-2-Only-one-year-to-go-585.aspx|archivedate= 26 April 2014 }}</ref>
 
Terminal 2 is used by all [[Star Alliance]] members which fly from Heathrow (consolidating the airlines under Star Alliance's co-location policy "Move Under One Roof") with the exception of [[Air India]] which uses Terminal 4.[[Air India]] will start operations from Terminal 2 beginning 25th January, 2017. [[Aer Lingus]], [[Germanwings]] and [[Icelandair]] also operate from the terminal. The airlines moved from their original locations over a six-month period, with only 10% of flights operating from there in the first six weeks ([[United Airlines]]' transatlantic flights) to avoid the opening problems seen at Terminal 5.<ref>{{cite news|title= Heathrow's Terminal 2 to be opened in stages|publisher= BBC News|date= 3 June 2014|url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-27681065 |accessdate= 4 June 2014}}</ref> Development will continue at the terminal to increase capacity in preparation for the closure of Terminal 3 in 2019.<ref name="itv.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.itv.com/news/london/2015-05-28/heathrow-terminal-one-deserted-ahead-of-closure-next-month/|title=Heathrow Terminal One deserted ahead of closure next month|work=ITV News}}</ref>
 
The original Terminal 2 opened as the Europa Building in 1955 and was the airport's oldest terminal. It had an area of {{convert|49654|m2|sqft|abbr=on}} and was designed to handle around 1.2 million passengers annually. In its final years it accommodated up to 8 million. A total of 316 million passengers passed through the terminal in its lifetime. The building was demolished in 2010, along with the Queens Building which formerly housed airline company offices.<ref>{{Cite news|title= Demolition work begins at Heathrow's Terminal 2|publisher= [[BBC News]]|date= 29 April 2010|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8650872.stm |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20140426134155/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8650872.stm|archivedate= 26 April 2014 }}</ref>
 
===Terminal 3===
{{Main article|Heathrow Terminal 3}}
[[File:Heathrow Airport 010.jpg|thumb|left|[[Heathrow Terminal 3|Terminal 3]] [[bird's-eye view]]]]
Terminal 3 opened as The Oceanic Terminal on 13 November 1961 to handle flight departures for long-haul routes for foreign carriers to the United States, Asia and other Far Eastern destinations.<ref name="BAA History">{{cite web|url=http://www.heathrowairport.com/about-us/company-news-and-information/company-information/our-history |title=Our history |publisher=Heathrow Airport Holdings |accessdate=14 January 2014}}</ref> 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 walkway]]s. In 2006, the new £105 million Pier 6 was completed<ref name="nqaheu">{{Cite news |title= Debut A380 flight lands in London |publisher=BBC News |date=18 March 2008 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7301455.stm |accessdate=19 March 2008}}</ref> to accommodate the [[Airbus A380]] superjumbo; [[Emirates (airline)|Emirates]] and [[Qantas]] operate regular flights from Terminal 3 using the Airbus A380.
 
Redevelopment of Terminal 3's forecourt by the addition of a new four-lane drop-off area and a large pedestrianised plaza, complete with canopy to the front of the terminal building, was completed in 2007. These improvements were intended to improve passengers' experience, reduce traffic congestion and improve security.<ref name="Ref_y">{{cite press release |url=http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/baa-heathrow-unveils-plans-to-re-develop-terminal-3-155771575.html |title=BAA Heathrow unveils plans to re-develop Terminal 3 |publisher=BAA |date=15 February 2007 |accessdate=14 January 2014}}</ref> As part of this project, [[Virgin Atlantic]] was assigned its own dedicated check-in area, known as 'Zone A', which features a large sculpture and atrium.
 
{{As of|2013}}, Terminal 3 has an area of {{convert|98962|m2|abbr=on}} and in 2011 it handled 19.8 million passengers on 104,100 flights.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.heathrowairport.com/about-us/company-news-and-information/company-information/facts-and-figures |title=Heathrow facts and figures |publisher=Heathrow Airport Limited|accessdate=13 November 2013}}</ref> In May 2015, it was announced that Terminal 3 will be demolished by 2019, when [[London Heathrow Terminal 2|Terminal 2]] has been completed.<ref name="itv.com"/>
{{Clear}}
 
===Terminal 4===
{{Main article|Heathrow Terminal 4}}
[[File:Heathrow LON 04 07 77.JPG|thumb|[[Heathrow Terminal 4|Terminal 4]] bird's-eye view]]
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 {{convert|105481|m2|abbr=on}} and is now home to the [[SkyTeam]] alliance, with the exception of [[Garuda Indonesia]], [[Middle East Airlines]], and [[Delta Air Lines]] which use Terminal 3, 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 and a new baggage system were installed, and two new stands were built to accommodate the Airbus A380; [[Etihad Airways]], [[Malaysia Airlines]] and [[Qatar Airways]] operate regular A380 flights.<ref name="Ref_z">{{cite press release|url=http://www.heathrowairport.com/portal/page/Heathrow%5EGeneral%5EOur%20business%20and%20community%5EMedia%20centre%5ENews%20releases%5EResults/97dd2706f959/ |title=Terminal 4's £100m new check-in area reaches the top |publisher=BAA |accessdate=30 November 2008 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
 
===Terminal 5===
{{Main article|Heathrow Terminal 5}}
[[File:Heathrow Airport 014.jpg|thumb|left|[[Heathrow Terminal 5|Terminal 5]] bird's-eye view]]
Terminal 5 lies between the northern and southern runways at the western end of the Heathrow site and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 14 March 2008,<ref name="Ref_2008b">{{Cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7294618.stm |title=Queen opens new Heathrow Terminal |date=14 March 2008 |accessdate=14 March 2008 |publisher=BBC News}}</ref> some 19 years after its inception. It opened to the public on 27 March 2008, and British Airways and its partner company Iberia have exclusive use of this terminal. The first passenger to enter Terminal 5 was a UK [[expatriate|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.<ref name="Ref_2008c">{{cite news |title=British Airways reveals what went wrong with Terminal 5|work=Computer Weekly |url= http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2008/05/14/230680/british-airways-reveals-what-went-wrong-with-terminal.htm |date=14 May 2008|accessdate=17 May 2008}}</ref> Until March 2012, Terminal 5 was exclusively used by British Airways as its global hub; however, because of the merger, on 25 March [[Iberia (airline)|Iberia's]] operations at Heathrow were moved to the terminal, making it the home of [[International Airlines Group]].{{cn|date=November 2016}}
 
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. Terminal 5 was voted [[Skytrax]] World's Best Airport Terminal 2014 in the Annual World Airport Awards.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Andy|first1=Ivy|title=Londen Heathrow|url=http://vliegveldlonden.nl/londen-heathrow/|website=Vliegveld Londen|publisher=Vliegveld Londen|language=nl-NL|date=1 January 2012}}</ref>
 
The main terminal building (Concourse A) has an area of {{Convert|300000|m2|sqft}} while Concourse B covers {{Convert|60000|m2|sqft}}.<ref name="Ref_2011b">{{cite web|title=Heathrow Terminal 5|url=http://www.richardrogers.co.uk/Asp/uploadedFiles/Image/1065_t5/RSHP_A_JS_1065_L_E_GB.pdf}}</ref> It has 60 aircraft stands and capacity for 30 million passengers annually as well as more than 100 shops and restaurants.<ref>{{cite news |title=Heathrow Terminal 5: The Vital Statistics |publisher=Sky News |url= http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky-News-Archive/Article/200806413649522 |date=15 March 2008 |accessdate=7 May 2011}}</ref>
 
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 (airline)|Iberia]], this may become a priority since the combined business will require accommodation at Heathrow under one roof to maximise the cost savings envisaged under the deal. A proposal for Concourse D 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 [[spur route|motorway spur]] links the terminal to the M25 (between junctions 14 and 15). The terminal has 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 the spring of 2011.<ref>{{cite web| year=2010 | url=http://www.ultraprt.com/prt/faq/| title=ULTra PRT – FAQ| publisher=ATS ULTra | accessdate=1 July 2010}}</ref> New branches of both the [[Heathrow Express]] and the Underground's Piccadilly line serve a new shared [[Heathrow Terminal 5 station]].
 
==Terminal assignments and rearrangements==
Following the opening of Terminal 5 in March 2008, a hugely complex programme of terminal moves was implemented. This saw many airlines move so as to be grouped in terminals by [[airline alliance]] as far as possible.<ref name="Ref_ad">"Heathrow looks ahead", Airports (Key Publishing), September/October 2007, p. 30.</ref>
 
Following the opening of Phase 1 of the new Terminal 2 in June 2014, all Star Alliance member airlines<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldairlinenews.com/2014/06/04/terminal-2-opens-as-the-star-alliance-terminal-at-london-heathrow-airport/|title=Terminal 2 opens as the Star Alliance terminal at London Heathrow Airport|work=World Airline News}}</ref> (with the exception of new member Air India) along with Aer Lingus and Germanwings relocated to Terminal 2 in a phased process completed on 22 October 2014. Additionally, by 30 June 2015 all airlines left Terminal 1 in preparation for its demolition to make room for the construction of Phase 2 of Terminal 2.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-33309025|title=London Heathrow Airport bids farewell to Terminal 1|work=BBC News}}</ref>
 
===Current terminal assignments===
As of 17 September 2016, the terminals are assigned as follows:<ref>[http://www.heathrowairport.com/flight-information/destinations-and-airlines heathrowairport.com – Heathrow destinations and airlines]. Retrieved 8 July 2015</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Terminal
!Airlines and alliances
|-
|{{nowrap|Terminal 2}}
|[[Star Alliance]] (except Air India), Aer Lingus, Eurowings, Germanwings and Icelandair
|-
|Terminal 3
|[[Oneworld]] (except Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Iberia and some British Airways destinations), Delta Air Lines,<ref name="deltamoves">[https://buyingbusinesstravel.com/news/2226127-delta-moves-all-heathrow-flights-t3 buyingbusinesstravel.com - Delta moves all Heathrow flights to T3] 22 August 2016</ref> Garuda Indonesia, Middle East Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and a few non-aligned airlines
|-
|Terminal 4
|[[SkyTeam]] (except Delta Air Lines, Garuda Indonesia and Middle East Airlines), Air India, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways and most non-aligned airlines
|-
|Terminal 5
|British Airways (most destinations, except those at Terminal 3), Iberia and Iberia Express
|-
|}
 
===Scheduled terminal moves===
* From 25 January 2017, [[Air India]] will move from Terminal 4 to Terminal 2, consolidating all Star Alliance members in Terminal 2.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heathrow.com/airport-guide/which-terminal.|title=Which terminal? - Check your terminal at Heathrow - Heathrow|publisher=}}</ref>
* From 31 January 2017, [[Oman Air]], which currently operates one daily flight each out of Terminals 3 and 4, will consolidate all flights in Terminal 4.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2016/11/08/oman-air-consolidate-heathrow-flights-t4/|title=Oman Air to consolidate Heathrow flights at Terminal 4 - Business Traveller – The leading magazine for frequent flyers|date=8 November 2016|publisher=}}</ref>
* From 28 March 2017, [[British Airways]] flights to Palermo will move from Terminal 5 to Terminal 3.
 
==Airlines and destinations==
 
===Passenger===
The following airlines operate regular scheduled passenger flights at London Heathrow Airport:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heathrowairport.com/flight-information/flight-timetable|title=Heathrow: Flight timetable – Heathrow flight schedules|accessdate=2 June 2015}}</ref>
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If updating an airline at Terminal 2, 3, 4 or 5, please also update the list on the article about that terminal. -->
{{Airport destination list
|3rdcoltitle=Terminal
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|[[Aegean Airlines]]|[[Athens International Airport|Athens]], [[Larnaca International Airport|Larnaca]] | 2
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|[[Aer Lingus]]|[[George Best Belfast City Airport|Belfast-City]], [[Cork Airport|Cork]], [[Dublin Airport|Dublin]], [[Shannon Airport|Shannon]] | 2
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|[[Aeroflot]]|[[Sheremetyevo International Airport|Moscow–Sheremetyevo]] | 4
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|[[Aeroméxico]]|[[Benito Juárez International Airport|Mexico City]] | 4
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|[[Air Algérie]]|[[Houari Boumediene Airport|Algiers]] | 4
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|[[Air Astana]]|[[Astana International Airport|Astana]] | 4
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|[[Air Canada]]|[[Calgary International Airport|Calgary]], [[Halifax Stanfield International Airport|Halifax]], [[Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport|Montréal–Trudeau]], [[Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport|Ottawa]], [[St. John's International Airport|St. John's]], [[Toronto Pearson International Airport|Toronto–Pearson]], [[Vancouver International Airport|Vancouver]] | 2
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|[[Air China]]|[[Beijing Capital International Airport|Beijing–Capital]] | 2
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|[[Air France]]|[[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris–Charles de Gaulle]] | 4
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|[[Air India]]|[[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport|Ahmedabad]], [[Indira Gandhi International Airport|Delhi]], [[Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport|Mumbai]], [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]] <!-- Air India's flights to Amritsar and Kolkata require a change of aircraft from B777 to A321 at DEL. AI6335 from LHR to JFK is a Air India codeshare operated by Kuwait Airways. Do not add them as destinations. --> | 4
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|[[Air Malta]]|[[Malta International Airport|Malta]] | 4
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|[[Air Mauritius]] | [[Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport|Mauritius]] | 4
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|[[Air New Zealand]] | [[Auckland Airport|Auckland]], [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]] | 2
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|[[Air Serbia]] | [[Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport|Belgrade]] | 4
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|[[Alitalia]]|[[Linate Airport|Milan–Linate]], [[Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport|Rome–Fiumicino]] | 4
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|[[All Nippon Airways]] | [[Haneda Airport|Tokyo–Haneda]] | 2
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|[[American Airlines]] | [[Charlotte Douglas International Airport|Charlotte]], [[O'Hare International Airport|Chicago–O'Hare]], [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas/Fort Worth]], [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]], [[Miami International Airport|Miami]], [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|New York–JFK]], [[Philadelphia International Airport|Philadelphia]], [[Raleigh–Durham International Airport|Raleigh/Durham]] | 3
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|[[Arik Air]] | [[Murtala Muhammed International Airport|Lagos]] | 4
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|[[Asiana Airlines]] | [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]] | 2
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|[[Austrian Airlines]] | [[Vienna International Airport|Vienna]] | 2
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|[[Avianca]] | [[El Dorado International Airport|Bogotá]] | 2
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|[[Azerbaijan Airlines]] | [[Heydar Aliyev International Airport|Baku]] | 4
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|[[Biman Bangladesh Airlines]] | [[Shahjalal International Airport|Dhaka]]{{efn|Biman Bangladesh Airlines' flight from London to Dhaka makes a stop at Sylhet, and the airline offers tickets solely between London and Sylhet. However, the flight from Dhaka to London is [[direct flight|direct]].}} | 4
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|[[British Airways]] | [[Kotoka International Airport|Accra]], [[Barcelona–El Prat Airport|Barcelona]], [[Bilbao Airport|Bilbao]], [[Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport|Budapest]], [[Cape Town International Airport|Cape Town]], [[Denver International Airport|Denver]], [[Gibraltar International Airport|Gibraltar]], [[Helsinki Airport|Helsinki]], [[McCarran International Airport|Las Vegas]], [[Lisbon Portela Airport|Lisbon]], [[Luxembourg Findel Airport|Luxembourg]], [[Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport|Lyon]], [[Marseille Provence Airport|Marseille]], [[Miami International Airport|Miami]], [[Jomo Kenyatta International Airport|Nairobi–Jomo Kenyatta]], [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Phoenix–Sky Harbor]], [[Prague Václav Havel Airport|Prague]], [[Vancouver International Airport|Vancouver]], [[Vienna International Airport|Vienna]], [[Warsaw Chopin Airport|Warsaw–Chopin]] <br>'''Seasonal:''' [[Falcone–Borsellino Airport|Palermo]] (begins 28 March 2017), [[Pula Airport|Pula]] (begins 1 July 2017)<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/269632/british-airways-adds-new-heathrow-europe-routes-in-s17/|title=British Airways adds new Heathrow – Europe routes in S17|first=UBM (UK) Ltd.|last=2016|publisher=}}</ref> | 3
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|[[British Airways]] | [[Aberdeen Airport|Aberdeen]], [[Abu Dhabi International Airport|Abu Dhabi]], [[Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport|Abuja]], [[Queen Alia International Airport|Amman–Queen Alia]], [[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol|Amsterdam]], [[Athens International Airport|Athens]], [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta]], [[Austin–Bergstrom International Airport|Austin]], [[Bahrain International Airport|Bahrain]], [[Baltimore–Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport|Baltimore]], [[Kempegowda International Airport|Bangalore]], [[Suvarnabhumi Airport|Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi]], [[EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg|Basel/Mulhouse]], [[Beijing Capital International Airport|Beijing–Capital]], [[Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport|Beirut]], [[George Best Belfast City Airport|Belfast–City]], [[Bergen Airport, Flesland|Bergen]], [[Berlin Tegel Airport|Berlin–Tegel]], [[Billund Airport|Billund]], [[Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport|Bologna]], [[Logan International Airport|Boston]], [[Brussels Airport|Brussels]], [[Henri Coandă International Airport|Bucharest-Otopeni]], [[Ministro Pistarini International Airport|Buenos Aires–Ezeiza]], [[Cairo International Airport|Cairo]], [[Calgary International Airport|Calgary]], [[Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport|Chengdu]] (ends 12 January 2017),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/269370/british-airways-closes-chengdu-reservations-from-jan-2017/|title=British Airways closes Chengdu reservations from Jan 2017|first=UBM (UK) Ltd.|last=2016|publisher=}}</ref> [[Chennai International Airport|Chennai]], [[O'Hare International Airport|Chicago–O'Hare]], [[Copenhagen Airport|Copenhagen]], [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas/Fort Worth]], [[Indira Gandhi International Airport|Delhi]], [[Hamad International Airport|Doha]], [[Dubai International Airport|Dubai–International]], [[Dublin Airport|Dublin]], [[Düsseldorf Airport|Düsseldorf]], [[Edinburgh Airport|Edinburgh]], [[Frankfurt Airport|Frankfurt]], [[Geneva International Airport|Geneva]], [[Glasgow Airport|Glasgow-International]], [[Landvetter Airport|Gothenburg]], [[Owen Roberts International Airport|Grand Cayman]], [[Hamburg Airport|Hamburg]], [[Hannover Airport|Hanover]], [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]], [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport|Houston–Intercontinental]], [[Rajiv Gandhi International Airport|Hyderabad]], [[Innsbruck Airport|Innsbruck]], [[Inverness Airport|Inverness]], [[Istanbul Atatürk Airport|Istanbul–Atatürk]], [[King Abdulaziz International Airport|Jeddah]], [[O. R. Tambo International Airport|Johannesburg–Tambo]], [[Boryspil International Airport|Kiev–Boryspil]], [[John Paul II International Airport Kraków–Balice|Kraków]], [[Kuala Lumpur International Airport|Kuala Lumpur–International]], [[Kuwait International Airport|Kuwait City]], [[Murtala Muhammed International Airport|Lagos]], [[Larnaca International Airport|Larnaca]], [[Leeds Bradford International Airport|Leeds/Bradford]], [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]], [[Quatro de Fevereiro Airport|Luanda]], [[Madrid–Barajas Airport|Madrid]], [[Manchester Airport|Manchester]], [[Benito Juárez International Airport|Mexico City]], [[Linate Airport|Milan–Linate]], [[Malpensa Airport|Milan–Malpensa]], [[Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport|Montreal–Trudeau]], [[Domodedovo International Airport|Moscow–Domodedovo]], [[Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport|Mumbai]], [[Munich Airport|Munich]], [[Muscat International Airport|Muscat]], [[Lynden Pindling International Airport|Nassau]], [[Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport|New Orleans]] (begins 27 March 2017),<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2016/10/new_orleans_london_flight_brit.html | title=British Airways to connect London, New Orleans with nonstop flights | work=[[The Times-Picayune]] | date=20 October 2016 | accessdate=20 October 2016 | author1=Larino, Jennifer | author2=LaRose, Greg}}</ref> [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|New York–JFK]], [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]], [[Newcastle Airport|Newcastle upon Tyne]], [[Nice Côte d'Azur Airport|Nice]], [[Oslo Airport, Gardermoen|Oslo–Gardermoen]], [[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris–Charles de Gaulle]], [[Orly Airport|Paris–Orly]], [[Philadelphia International Airport|Philadelphia]], [[Pisa International Airport|Pisa]], [[Keflavík International Airport|Reykjavík–Keflavík]], [[Rio de Janeiro–Galeão International Airport|Rio de Janeiro–Galeão]], [[King Khalid International Airport|Riyadh]], [[Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport|Rome–Fiumicino]], [[Pulkovo Airport|St Petersburg]], [[San Diego International Airport|San Diego]], [[San Francisco International Airport|San Francisco]], [[San Jose International Airport|San Jose (CA)]], [[Comodoro Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport|Santiago de Chile]], [[São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport|São Paulo–Guarulhos]], [[Seattle–Tacoma International Airport|Seattle/Tacoma]], [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]], [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai–Pudong]], [[Singapore Changi Airport|Singapore]], [[Sofia Airport|Sofia]], [[Stavanger Airport, Sola|Stavanger]], [[Stockholm Arlanda Airport|Stockholm-Arlanda]], [[Stuttgart Airport|Stuttgart]], [[Sydney Airport|Sydney]], [[Imam Khomeini Airport|Tehran–Imam Khomeini]], [[Ben Gurion Airport|Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion]], [[Haneda Airport|Tokyo–Haneda]], [[Narita International Airport|Tokyo–Narita]], [[Toronto Pearson International Airport|Toronto–Pearson]], [[Toulouse–Blagnac Airport|Toulouse]], [[Venice Marco Polo Airport|Venice]], [[Washington Dulles International Airport|Washington–Dulles]], [[Zagreb Airport|Zagreb]], [[Zürich Airport|Zürich]] <br>'''Seasonal:''' [[Biarritz – Anglet – Bayonne Airport|Biarritz]], [[Brindisi – Salento Airport|Brindisi]] (begins 3 June 2017),<ref name="auto"/> [[Chania International Airport|Chania]], [[Corfu International Airport|Corfu]], [[Faro Airport|Faro]], [[Gran Canaria Airport|Gran Canaria]], [[Ibiza Airport|Ibiza]], [[Kos Island International Airport|Kos]], [[Kalamata International Airport|Kalamata]],  [[Málaga Airport|Málaga]], [[Menorca Airport|Menorca]], [[Montpellier–Méditerranée Airport|Montpellier]] (begins 3 May 2017),<ref name="auto"/> [[Murcia–San Javier Airport|Murcia]] (begins 28 March 2017),<ref name="auto"/> [[Mykonos Island National Airport|Mykonos]], [[Nantes Atlantique Airport|Nantes]] (begins 29 March 2017),<ref name="auto"/> [[Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport|Olbia]], [[Falcone–Borsellino Airport|Palermo]] (ends 27 March 2017), [[Palma de Mallorca Airport|Palma de Mallorca]], [[Salzburg Airport|Salzburg]], [[Santorini (Thira) National Airport|Santorini]], [[Split Airport|Split]], [[Tallinn Airport|Tallinn]] (begins 28 March 2017),<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.tallinn-airport.ee/uudised/tallinn-londoni-liinile-lisandub-uue-vedajana-british-airways/ |title=Tallinn-Londoni liinile lisandub uue vedajana British Airways |publisher=www.tallinn-airport.ee |date=1 November 2016 |accessdate=1 November 2016|language=Estonian}}</ref> [[Zakynthos International Airport|Zakynthos]] (begins 3 June 2017)<ref name="auto"/> | 5
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|[[Brussels Airlines]] | [[Brussels Airport|Brussels]] | 2
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|[[Bulgaria Air]] | [[Sofia Airport|Sofia]] | 4
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|[[Cathay Pacific]] | [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]] | 3
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|[[China Eastern Airlines]] | [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai–Pudong]] | 4
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|[[China Southern Airlines]] | [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport|Guangzhou]] | 4
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|[[Croatia Airlines]] | [[Zagreb Airport|Zagreb]] <br>'''Seasonal:''' [[Rijeka Airport|Rijeka]], [[Split Airport|Split]] | 2
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|[[Delta Air Lines]] | [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta]], [[Logan International Airport|Boston]], [[Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport|Detroit]], [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport|Minneapolis/St. Paul]], [[John F Kennedy International Airport|New York–JFK]], [[Philadelphia International Airport|Philadelphia]], [[Salt Lake City International Airport|Salt Lake City]], [[Seattle–Tacoma International Airport|Seattle/Tacoma]] (ends 26 March 2017)<ref name="Debbie Egerton">{{cite web|url=http://news.delta.com/delta-virgin-atlantic-strengthen-network-between-us-uk|title=Delta, Virgin Atlantic strengthen network between U.S.-U.K.|author=Debbie Egerton|date=May 31, 2016}}</ref> <br>'''Seasonal:''' [[Portland International Airport|Portland (OR)]] (begins 27 May 2017)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/delta-virgin-atlantic-add-50-daily-seats-between-seattle-and-london-launch-portland-london-service-300276758.html|title=Delta, Virgin Atlantic Add 50 Daily Seats Between Seattle and London, Launch Portland-London Service|first=Delta Air|last=Lines|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/267814/delta-adds-portland-or-london-heathrow-from-may-2017/|title=DELTA Adds Portland OR – London Heathrow from May 2017|first=UBM (UK) Ltd.|last=2016|publisher=}}</ref> | 3
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|[[EgyptAir]] | [[Cairo International Airport|Cairo]], [[Luxor International Airport|Luxor]] | 2
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|[[El Al]] | [[Ben Gurion Airport|Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion]] | 4
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|[[Emirates (airline)|Emirates]]|[[Dubai International Airport|Dubai–International]] | 3
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|[[Ethiopian Airlines]] | [[Bole International Airport|Addis Ababa]] | 2
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|[[Etihad Airways]] | [[Abu Dhabi International Airport|Abu Dhabi]] | 4
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|[[EVA Air]] | [[Suvarnabhumi Airport|Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi]], [[Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei–Taoyuan]] | 2
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|[[Eurowings]] | [[Düsseldorf Airport|Düsseldorf]], [[Hamburg Airport|Hamburg]] | 2
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|[[Eurowings]] <br>operated by [[Germanwings]] | [[Berlin Tegel Airport|Berlin–Tegel]], [[Cologne Bonn Airport|Cologne/Bonn]], [[Stuttgart Airport|Stuttgart]] | 2
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|[[Finnair]] | [[Helsinki Airport|Helsinki]] | 3
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|[[Flybe]] | [[Aberdeen Airport|Aberdeen]], [[Edinburgh Airport|Edinburgh]] (both begin 26 March 2017)<ref>http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/flybe-to-offer-routes-from-london-heathrow-for-first-time/</ref> | 2
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|[[Garuda Indonesia]] | [[Soekarno–Hatta International Airport|Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta]]{{efn|Garuda Indonesia's flight from Jakarta to London make a stop at Singapore. However, all Garuda flights from London to Jakarta are non-stop.}} | 3
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|[[Gulf Air]] | [[Bahrain International Airport|Bahrain]] | 4
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|[[Iberia (airline)|Iberia]] | [[Madrid–Barajas Airport|Madrid]] | 5
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|[[Iberia Express]] | [[Asturias Airport|Asturias]], [[Gran Canaria Airport|Gran Canaria]], [[Palma de Mallorca Airport|Palma de Mallorca]] | 5
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|[[Icelandair]] | [[Keflavík International Airport|Reykjavík–Keflavík]] | 2
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|[[Iran Air]] | [[Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport|Tehran–Imam Khomeini]] | 3
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|[[Japan Airlines]] | [[Haneda Airport|Tokyo–Haneda]] | 3
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|[[Jet Airways]] | [[Indira Gandhi International Airport|Delhi]], [[Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport|Mumbai]]| 4
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|[[Kenya Airways]] | [[Jomo Kenyatta International Airport|Nairobi–Kenyatta]] | 4
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|[[KLM]] | [[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol|Amsterdam]] | 4
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|[[KLM]]<br>{{nowrap|operated by [[KLM Cityhopper]]}} | [[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol|Amsterdam]]| 4
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|[[Korean Air]] | [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]] | 4
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|[[Kuwait Airways]] | [[Kuwait International Airport|Kuwait City]]{{efn|Some of Kuwait Airways' flights from Kuwait to London continue on to New York-JFK. The airline has rights to carry passengers solely between London and New York, but chooses not to do so since it does not Allow Any Israeli passport holders to board the aircraft.}} | 4
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|[[LATAM Brasil]] | [[São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport|São Paulo–Guarulhos]] | 3
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|[[LOT Polish Airlines]] | [[Warsaw Chopin Airport|Warsaw–Chopin]] | 2
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|[[Lufthansa]] | [[Frankfurt Airport|Frankfurt]], [[Munich Airport|Munich]] | 2
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|[[Malaysia Airlines]] | [[Kuala Lumpur International Airport|Kuala Lumpur–International]] | 4
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|[[Middle East Airlines]] | [[Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport|Beirut]] | 3
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|[[Oman Air]] | [[Muscat International Airport|Muscat]] | 3, 4
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|{{nowrap|[[Pakistan International Airlines]]}} | [[Benazir Bhutto International Airport|Islamabad]], [[Jinnah International Airport|Karachi]], [[Allama Iqbal International Airport|Lahore]] | 3
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|[[Philippine Airlines]] | [[Ninoy Aquino International Airport|Manila]] | 3
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|[[Qantas]] | [[Dubai International Airport|Dubai–International]], [[Melbourne Airport|Melbourne]], [[Perth Airport|Perth]] (resumes 2 March 2018),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/5-things-you-should-know-about-the-perth-to-london-flight-ng-b88326121z|title=5 things you should know about the Perth to London flight|publisher=thewest.com.au|accessdate=13 December 2016}}</ref> [[Sydney Airport|Sydney]]  | 3
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|[[Qatar Airways]] | [[Hamad International Airport|Doha]] | 4
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|[[Royal Air Maroc]] | [[Mohammed V International Airport|Casablanca]], [[Marrakech–Menara Airport|Marrakech]], [[Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport|Tangier]] | 4
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|[[Royal Brunei Airlines]] | [[Brunei International Airport|Bandar Seri Begawan]], [[Dubai International Airport|Dubai–International]] | 4
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|[[Royal Jordanian]] | [[Queen Alia International Airport|Amman–Queen Alia]] | 3
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|[[Saudia]] | [[King Abdulaziz International Airport|Jeddah]], [[King Khalid International Airport|Riyadh]]<br>'''Seasonal:''' [[Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport|Medina]] | 4
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|[[Scandinavian Airlines]] | [[Copenhagen Airport|Copenhagen]], [[Oslo Airport, Gardermoen|Oslo–Gardermoen]], [[Stavanger Airport, Sola|Stavanger]], [[Stockholm Arlanda Airport|Stockholm-Arlanda]] | 2
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|[[Singapore Airlines]] | [[Singapore Changi Airport|Singapore]] | 2
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|[[South African Airways]] | [[OR Tambo International Airport|Johannesburg–Tambo]] | 2
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|[[SriLankan Airlines]] | [[Bandaranaike International Airport|Colombo]] <br>'''Seasonal:''' [[Ibrahim Nasir International Airport|Malé]] | 3
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|[[Swiss International Air Lines]] | [[Geneva International Airport|Geneva]], [[Zürich Airport|Zürich]] | 2
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|[[Swiss International Air Lines]] <br>{{nowrap|operated by [[Helvetic Airways]]}} | <!--THIS IS A TEST SERVICE; DO NOT MARK IT AS SEASONAL-->[[Sion Airport|Sion]] (begins 4 February 2017; ends 25 February 2017)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.swiss.com|title=Flüge und Last Minute Angebote günstig online buchen - SWISS|publisher=}}</ref> | 2
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|[[TAP Portugal]] | [[Lisbon Portela Airport|Lisbon]] | 2
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|[[TAROM]] | [[Henri Coandă International Airport|Bucharest-Otopeni]] | 4
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|[[Thai Airways]] | [[Suvarnabhumi Airport|Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi]] | 2
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|[[Tunisair]] | [[Tunis–Carthage International Airport|Tunis]] | 4
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|[[Turkish Airlines]] | [[Atatürk International Airport|Istanbul–Atatürk]] | 2
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|[[Turkmenistan Airlines]] | [[Ashgabat Airport|Ashgabat]] | 4
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|[[United Airlines]] | [[O'Hare International Airport|Chicago–O'Hare]], [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport|Houston–Intercontinental]], [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]], [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]], [[San Francisco International Airport|San Francisco]], [[Washington Dulles International Airport|Washington–Dulles]] | 2
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|[[Uzbekistan Airways]] | [[Tashkent International Airport|Tashkent]] | 4
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|[[Vietnam Airlines]] | [[Noi Bai International Airport|Hanoi]], [[Tan Son Nhat International Airport|Ho Chi Minh City]] | 4
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|[[Virgin Atlantic]] | [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta]], [[Logan International Airport|Boston]], [[Indira Gandhi International Airport|Delhi]], [[Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport|Detroit]] (ends 25 March 2017),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.delta.com/delta-and-virgin-atlantic-strengthen-network-between-us-and-uk|title=Delta, Virgin Atlantic strengthen network between U.S.-U.K.|publisher=}}</ref> [[Dubai International Airport|Dubai–International]], [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]], [[OR Tambo International Airport|Johannesburg–Tambo]], [[Murtala Muhammed International Airport|Lagos]], [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]], [[Miami International Airport|Miami]], [[John F Kennedy International Airport|New York–JFK]], [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]], [[San Francisco International Airport|San Francisco]], [[Seattle–Tacoma International Airport|Seattle/Tacoma]] (begins 26 March 2017),<ref name="Debbie Egerton"/> [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai–Pudong]], [[Washington Dulles International Airport|Washington–Dulles]] | 3
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|[[Vueling]] | [[A Coruña Airport|A Coruña]] | 3
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}}
 
===Cargo===
{{Airport destination list
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| [[AirBridgeCargo Airlines]] | [[Frankfurt Airport|Frankfurt]], [[Sheremetyevo International Airport|Moscow-Sheremetyevo]]
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| [[Cathay Pacific Cargo]] | [[Indira Gandhi International Airport|Delhi]], [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]], [[Milan–Malpensa]], [[Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport|Mumbai]], [[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris–Charles de Gaulle]]
<!-- -->
| [[DHL Aviation]] | [[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol|Amsterdam]], [[Brussels Airport|Brussels]], [[East Midlands Airport|East Midlands]], [[Frankfurt Airport|Frankfurt]], [[Madrid–Barajas Airport|Madrid–Barajas]], [[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris–Charles de Gaulle]]
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| [[Emirates SkyCargo]] | [[Al Maktoum International Airport|Dubai-Al Maktoum]]
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| [[Ethiopian Airlines Cargo]]| [[Bole International Airport|Addis Ababa]], [[Murtala Muhammed International Airport|Lagos]]
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| [[Korean Air Cargo]] | [[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris–Charles de Gaulle]], [[Incheon International Airport|Seoul–Incheon]]
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| [[Royal Air Maroc Cargo]] | [[Mohammed V International Airport|Casablanca]]
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| [[Royal Jordanian Cargo]] | [[Queen Alia International Airport|Amman–Queen Alia]], [[Sarajevo International Airport|Sarajevo]]
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| [[Singapore Airlines Cargo]] | [[Abu Dhabi International Airport|Abu Dhabi]], [[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol|Amsterdam]], [[Copenhagen Airport|Copenhagen]], [[Sharjah International Airport|Sharjah]], [[Singapore International Airport|Singapore]]
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| [[Turkish Airlines Cargo]] | [[Istanbul Atatürk Airport|İstanbul-Atatürk]]
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}}
 
==Traffic and statistics==
 
===Overview===
[[File:London Heathrow Statistics.png|thumb|500px|Development of passenger numbers, aircraft movements and air freight between 1986 and 2014]]
When ranked by [[World's busiest airports by passenger traffic|passenger traffic]], Heathrow is the sixth busiest internationally, behind [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport]], [[Beijing Capital International Airport]], [[Dubai International Airport]], Chicago's [[O'Hare International Airport]] and [[Haneda Airport|Tokyo Haneda Airport]], for the 12 months ending December 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aci.aero/Data-Centre/Monthly-Traffic-Data/Passenger-Summary/12-months |title=Passenger Traffic for the last 12 months |publisher=ACI |date=11 April 2016 |accessdate=27 December 2016}}</ref>
 
In 2015, Heathrow was [[List of the busiest airports in Europe|the busiest airport in Europe]] in total passenger traffic, with 14% more passengers than [[Paris–Charles de Gaulle Airport]]<ref name=cdg>{{cite web|url=http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/en/group/finance/investor-relations/traffic |title=Investor Relations - Paris Airports Traffic |publisher=Aeroports De Paris |accessdate=3 April 2016}}</ref> and 22% more than [[Istanbul Atatürk Airport]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dhmi.gov.tr/istatistik.aspx |title=Turkish Airport Statistics |publisher=DHMI |accessdate=3 April 2016}}</ref> Heathrow was the fourth busiest European airport by cargo traffic in 2013, after [[Frankfurt Airport]], Paris Charles de Gaulle and [[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aci.aero/Data-Centre/Annual-Traffic-Data/Cargo/2013-final |title=Cargo Traffic 2013 Final |year=2013 |accessdate=3 April 2016 |publisher=Airports Council International}}</ref>
 
===Busiest routes===
 
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 87.5%" width= align=
 
Heathrow Airport processed 74,985,748 passengers in 2015 (including 31,767 transit passengers). [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport]]&nbsp;was the most popular route with 3,050,499 passengers.
 
Shown below are the top 40 international destinations, each with more than 600,000 passengers.
 
|+ Busiest international routes (2015)
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Rank|| Airport || Passengers handled || % Change<br>2014 / 15
|-
|1|| {{flagicon|USA}} [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|New York-JFK]]||3,050,499 ||{{increase}} 3
|-
|2|| {{flagicon|UAE}} [[Dubai International Airport|Dubai-International]]||2,695,784 ||{{increase}} 1
|-
|3|| {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Dublin Airport|Dublin]]||1,682,855 ||{{increase}} 2
|-
|4|| {{flagicon|Netherlands}} [[Amsterdam Airport|Amsterdam]]||1,587,605 ||{{increase}} 7
|-
|5|| {{flagicon|Hong Kong}} [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]]||1,584,486 ||{{increase}} 1
|-
|6|| {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Frankfurt Airport|Frankfurt]]||1,530,986 ||{{increase}} 2
|-
|7|| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Los Angeles International Airport|Los Angeles]]||1,518,903 ||{{increase}} 12
|-
|8|| {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Madrid Barajas Airport|Madrid]]||1,321,558 ||{{increase}} 4
|-
|9|| {{flagicon|France}} [[Charles de Gaulle Airport|Paris-Charles de Gaulle]] ||1,252,777 ||{{nochange}} 0
|-
|10|| {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Munich Airport|Munich]]||1,230,618 ||{{increase}} 4
|-
|11|| {{flagicon|Singapore}} [[Singapore Changi Airport|Singapore]]||1,150,240 ||{{increase}} 2
|-
|12|| {{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Zürich Airport|Zürich]]||1,075,098 ||{{increase}} 2
|-
|13|| {{flagicon|Qatar}} [[Hamad International Airport|Doha]]||1,072,031 ||{{increase}} 20
|-
|14|| {{flagicon|USA}} [[O'Hare International Airport|Chicago-O'Hare]]||1,059,686 ||{{decrease}} 9
|-
|15|| {{flagicon|USA}} [[San Francisco International Airport|San Francisco]]||1,046,981 ||{{decrease}} 12
|-
|16|| {{flagicon|India}} [[Indira Gandhi International Airport|New Delhi]]||1,034,172 ||{{decrease}} 3
|-
|17|| {{flagicon|Canada}} [[Toronto Pearson International Airport|Toronto-Pearson]]||1,032,206 ||{{nochange}} 0
|-
|18|| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Miami International Airport|Miami]]||1,030,673 ||{{increase}} 2
|-
|19|| {{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Geneva International Airport|Geneva]]||1,021,882 ||{{nochange}} 0
|-
|20|| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Newark Liberty International Airport|Newark]]||1,002,530 ||{{decrease}} 14
|-
|21|| {{flagicon|India}} [[Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport|Mumbai]]||999,986 ||{{decrease}} 9
|-
|22|| {{flagicon|Sweden}} [[Stockholm Arlanda Airport|Stockholm-Arlanda]]||997,988 ||{{increase}} 5
|-
|23|| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport|Rome-Fiumicino]]||972,111 ||{{increase}} 10
|-
|24|| {{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Copenhagen Airport|Copenhagen]]||949,485 ||{{nochange}} 0
|-
|25|| {{flagicon|South Africa}} [[Johannesburg Airport|Johannesburg-Tambo]]||938,503 ||{{nochange}} 0
|-
|26|| {{flagicon|Turkey}} [[Istanbul Ataturk Airport|Istanbul-Atatürk]]||933,038 ||{{increase}} 1
|-
|27|| {{flagicon|UAE}} [[Abu Dhabi International Airport|Abu Dhabi]]||893,745 ||{{increase}} 30
|-
|28|| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Washington Dulles International Airport|Washington-Dulles]]||858,358 ||{{decrease}} 2
|-
|29|| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Boston Airport|Boston]]||835,901 ||{{decrease}} 4
|-
|30|| {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Berlin Tegel Airport|Berlin-Tegel]]||822,496 ||{{increase}} 6
|-
|31|| {{flagicon|Austria}} [[Vienna Airport|Vienna]]||787,631 ||{{increase}} 4
|-
|32|| {{flagicon|Portugal}} [[Lisbon Airport|Lisbon]]||768,043 ||{{increase}} 2
|-
|33|| {{flagicon|Greece}} [[Athens International Airport|Athens]]||699,094 ||{{decrease}} 2
|-
|34|| {{flagicon|Norway}} [[Oslo Gardermoen Airport|Oslo-Gardermoen]]||686,856 ||{{decrease}} 1
|-
|35|| {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Barcelona Airport|Barcelona]]||673,519 ||{{increase}} 10
|-
|36|| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Milan Linate Airport|Milan-Linate]]||672,882 ||{{decrease}} 3
|-
|37|| {{flagicon|Thailand}} [[Suvarnabhumi Airport|Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi]]||664,599 ||{{increase}} 7
|-
|38|| {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Düsseldorf Airport|Düsseldorf]]||663,142 ||{{increase}} 6
|-
|39|| {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Helsinki Airport|Helsinki]]||655,532 ||{{increase}} 3
|-
|40|| {{flagicon|USA}} [[Dallas Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas/Fort Worth]]||637,977 ||{{decrease}} 5
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:right;"| <sup>''Source: [[United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority|UK Civil Aviation Authority]]''<ref name="international-stats">UK Airport Statistics: 2015, International Air Passenger Traffic To and From Reporting Airports for 2014 [https://www.caa.co.uk/uploadedFiles/CAA/Content/Standard_Content/Data_and_analysis/Datasets/Airport_stats/Airport_data_2015/Table_12_1_Intl_Air_Pax_Route_Analysis_2015.pdf Air Pax route Analysis 2015]</ref></sup>
|}
 
The top seven domestic destinations are shown below:
 
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 87.5%" width= align=
|+ Busiest domestic routes (2015)
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Rank|| Airport || Passengers handled || % Change<br>2014 / 15
|-
|1|| {{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Edinburgh Airport|Edinburgh]]||1,383,915||{{decrease}} 6
|-
|2|| {{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Glasgow International Airport|Glasgow International]]||907,873||{{increase}} 4
|-
|3|| {{flagicon|England}} [[Manchester Airport|Manchester]]||776,369||{{decrease}} 11
|-
|4|| {{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Aberdeen Airport|Aberdeen]]||726,745||{{decrease}} 6
|-
|5|| {{flagicon|}} [[Belfast City Airport|Belfast City]]||684,255||{{increase}} 1
|-
|6|| {{flagicon|England}} [[Newcastle Airport|Newcastle upon Tyne]]||513,496||{{increase}} 7
|-
|7|| {{flagicon|England}} [[Leeds Bradford International Airport|Leeds/Bradford]]||148,796||{{increase}} 12
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:right;"| <sup>''Source: [[United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority|UK Civil Aviation Authority]]''<ref name="domestic-stats">UK Airport Statistics: 2015 - annual, Domestic Air Passenger Traffic To and From Reporting Airports for 2015 [https://www.caa.co.uk/uploadedFiles/CAA/Content/Standard_Content/Data_and_analysis/Datasets/Airport_stats/Airport_data_2015/Table_12_3_Dom_Air_Pax_Route_Analysis_by_Each_Reporting_Airport_2015.pdf Dom Air Pax Route Analysis 2015]</ref></sup>
|}
 
===Annual passenger numbers===
{|class="toccolours sortable" style="padding:0.5em;font-size: 87.5%"
|+ '''Passenger numbers at Heathrow<ref name="stats"/>
|-
! | <center>Year</center>
! | <center>Passengers<br />handled{{efn|Number of passengers including domestic, international and transit}}</center>
! | <center>Passenger<br />% Change</center>
! | <center>Cargo<br />(tonnes)</center>
! | <center>Cargo<br />% Change</center>
! | <center>Aircraft<br />movements</center>
! | <center>Aircraft<br />% Change</center>
|- style="background:#eee;"
|1986||31,675,779||{{sort|26|{{nochange}}}}||537,131||{{sort|26|{{nochange}}}}||315,753||{{nochange}}
|- style="background:#eee;"
|1987||35,079,755||{{increase}}{{sort|02|10.7}}||574,116||{{increase}}{{sort|09|6.9}}||329,977||{{increase}} 4.3
|- style="background:#eee;"
|1988||37,840,503||{{increase}}{{sort|04|7.9}}||642,147||{{increase}}{{sort|05|11.8}}||351,592||{{increase}} 6.1
|- style="background:#eee;"
|1989||39,881,922||{{increase}}{{sort|08|5.4}}||686,170||{{increase}}{{sort|10|6.9}}||368,429||{{increase}} 4.6
|- style="background:#eee;"
|1990||42,950,512||{{increase}}{{sort|05|7.7}}||695,347||{{increase}}{{sort|17|1.3}}||390,372||{{increase}} 5.6
|- style="background:#eee;"
|1991||40,494,575||{{decrease}}{{sort|24|5.7}}||654,625||{{decrease}}{{sort|23|5.9}}||381,724||{{decrease}} 2.3
|- style="background:#eee;"
|1992||45,242,591||{{increase}}{{sort|01|11.7}}||754,770||{{increase}}{{sort|01|15.3}}||406,481||{{increase}} 6.1
|- style="background:#eee;"
|1993||47,899,081||{{increase}}{{sort|07|5.9}}||846,486||{{increase}}{{sort|04|12.2}}||411,173||{{increase}} 1.1
|- style="background:#eee;"
|1994||51,713,366||{{increase}}{{sort|03|8.0}}||962,738||{{increase}}{{sort|03|13.7}}||424,557||{{increase}} 3.2
|- style="background:#eee;"
|1995||54,461,597||{{increase}}{{sort|10|5.3}}||1,031,639||{{increase}}{{sort|08|7.2}}||434,525||{{increase}} 2.3
|- style="background:#eee;"
|1996||56,049,706||{{increase}}{{sort|15|2.9}}||1,040,486||{{increase}}{{sort|18|0.9}}||440,343||{{increase}} 1.3
|- style="background:#eee;"
|1997||58,185,398||{{increase}}{{sort|13|3.8}}||1,156,104||{{increase}}{{sort|06|11.1}}||440,631||{{increase}} 0.1
|- style="background:#eee;"
|1998||60,683,988||{{increase}}{{sort|11|4.3}}||1,208,893||{{increase}}{{sort|13|4.6}}||451,382||{{increase}} 2.4
|- style="background:#eee;"
|1999||62,268,292||{{increase}}{{sort|16|2.6}}||1,265,495||{{increase}}{{sort|12|4.7}}||458,300||{{increase}} 1.5
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2000||64,618,254||{{increase}}{{sort|14|3.8}}||1,306,905||{{increase}}{{sort|16|3.3}}||466,799||{{increase}} 1.8
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2001||60,764,924||{{decrease}}{{sort|25|6.0}}||1,180,306||{{decrease}}{{sort|25|9.6}}||463,567||{{decrease}} 0.7
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2002||63,362,097||{{increase}}{{sort|12|4.3}}||1,234,940||{{increase}}{{sort|14|4.6}}||466,545||{{increase}} 0.6
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2003||63,495,367||{{increase}}{{sort|19|0.2}}||1,223,439||{{decrease}}{{sort|20|0.9}}||463,650||{{decrease}} 0.6
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2004||67,342,743||{{increase}}{{sort|06|6.1}}||1,325,173||{{increase}}{{sort|07|8.3}}||476,001||{{increase}} 2.6
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2005||67,913,153||{{increase}}{{sort|17|0.8}}||1,305,686||{{decrease}}{{sort|21|1.5}}||477,887||{{increase}} 0.4
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2006||67,527,923||{{decrease}}{{sort|21|0.6}}||1,264,129||{{decrease}}{{sort|22|3.2}}||477,048||{{decrease}} 0.2
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2007||68,066,028||{{increase}}{{sort|18|0.8}}||1,310,987||{{increase}}{{sort|15|3.7}}||481,476||{{increase}} 0.9
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2008||67,054,745||{{decrease}}{{sort|22|1.5}}||1,397,054||{{increase}}{{sort|11|6.6}}||478,693||{{decrease}} 0.6
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2009||66,036,957||{{decrease}}{{sort|23|1.5}}||1,277,650||{{decrease}}{{sort|24|8.5}}||466,393||{{decrease}} 2.6
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2010||65,881,660||{{decrease}}{{sort|20|0.2}}||1,472,988||{{increase}}{{sort|02|15.3}}||454,823||{{decrease}} 2.5
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2011||69,433,230||{{increase}}{{sort|09|5.4}}||1,484,351||{{increase}}{{sort|19|0.8}}||480,906||{{increase}} 5.4
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2012||70,037,417||{{increase}}{{sort|09|0.9}}||1,464,390||{{decrease}}{{sort|24|1.3}}||475,176||{{decrease}} 1.2
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2013||72,367,054||{{increase}}{{sort|09|3.3}}||1,422,939||{{decrease}}{{sort|23|2.8}}||471,936||{{decrease}} 0.7
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2014||73,405,330||{{increase}}{{sort|20|1.4}}||1,498,906||{{increase}}{{sort|22|5.3}}||472,802||{{increase}} 0.2
|- style="background:#eee;"
|2015||74,985,748||{{increase}}{{sort|20|2.2}}||1,496,551||{{decrease}}{{sort|22|0.2}}||474,087||{{increase}} 2.7
|}
 
==Other facilities==
[[File:Compass Building on the Bath Road by Philip Jeffrey.jpg|thumb|The [[Compass Centre]], the head office of Heathrow Airport Holdings]]
The head office of [[Heathrow Airport Holdings]] (formerly BAA Limited) is located in the [[Compass Centre]] by Heathrow's northern runway, a building that previously served as a British Airways flight crew centre.<ref name="Ref_ag">{{cite web |url= http://www.britishairwaysjobs.com/baweb1/?newms=info41 |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20060303141450/http://www.britishairwaysjobs.com/baweb1/?newms=info41 |archivedate=3 March 2006 |title=Explore Our Working World |publisher=British Airways |date=3 March 2006}}</ref> The World Business Centre Heathrow consists of buildings one and two. 1 World Business Centre houses offices of Heathrow Airport Holdings, Heathrow Airport itself, and [[Scandinavian Airlines]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.egpropertylink.com/EGPLDocs/wbc.pdf |title=World Business Centre Heathrow | publisher=Egpropertylink.com|accessdate=18 November 2011}}</ref>  Previously [[International Airlines Group]] had its head office in 2 World Business Centre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iairgroup.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=240949&p=contact |title=IAG – International Airlines Group – Investor Relations Team |publisher=Iairgroup.com |accessdate=7 October 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iairgroup.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=240949&p=aboutoverview |title=IAG – International Airlines Group – About Us |publisher=Iairgroup.com |accessdate=7 October 2012}}</ref>
 
At one time the British Airways head office was located within Heathrow Airport at Speedbird House<ref name="Ref_ah">"World Airline Directory." ''[[Flight International]]''. 26 March – 1 April 1997. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1997/1997%20-%200826.html?search=%22British%20Airways%22 58]. "Speedbird House, PO Box 10, London Heathrow Airport, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW6 2JA, UK."</ref> before the completion of [[Waterside (building)|Waterside]], the current BA head office in [[Harmondsworth]], in June 1998.<ref name="McKellar200">McKellar, Susie and Penny Sparke. "The Contemporary Office." ''Interior Design and Identity''. [[Manchester University Press]], 2004. [https://books.google.com/books?id=xsHsnIUPGw0C&pg=PA200&dq=Waterside+completed+june+1998&cd=2#v=onepage&q=Waterside%20completed%20june%201998&f=false 200]. Retrieved from [[Google Books]] on 12 February 2010. ISBN 0-7190-6729-4, ISBN 978-0-7190-6729-7.</ref>
 
To the north of the airfield lies the Northern Perimeter Road, along which most of Heathrow's car rental agencies are based, and Bath Road, which runs parallel to it, but outside the airport campus–this is nicknamed "The Strip" by locals owing to its continuous line of airport hotels.
 
==Access==
 
===Public transport===
 
====Train====
[[File:332002 at Paddington ABU.jpg|thumb|Heathrow Express train at [[London Paddington station|Paddington station]]]]
{{Heathrow rail services}}
* [[Heathrow Express]]: a non-stop service direct to London's [[London Paddington station|Paddington station]]; trains leave every 15 minutes for the 15-minute journey (21 minutes to/from Terminal 5). Trains depart from [[Heathrow Terminal 5 station]] or [[Heathrow Central railway station|Heathrow Central station]] (Terminals 2 & 3). A Heathrow Express transfer service operates between Terminal 4 and Heathrow Central to connect with services from London and Terminal 5.
* [[Heathrow Connect]]: a stopping service to Paddington calling at up to five [[National Rail]] stations en route – trains leave every 30 minutes for the 27-minute journey.<ref>{{cite web|title=Best Way to Get from Heathrow to London|url=http://www.autoeurope.com/go/heathrow-to-london/|website=www.autoeurope.com|publisher=Auto Europe|accessdate=15 December 2015}}</ref> Heathrow Connect services terminate at Heathrow Central station. Calls at [[Hayes and Harlington railway station|Hayes and Harlington]] for connecting trains to [[Reading railway station|Reading]].
* [[London Underground]] ([[Piccadilly line]]): four stations serve the airport: [[Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 tube station|Terminal 2 and 3]], [[Heathrow Terminal 4 tube station|Terminal 4]] and [[Heathrow Terminal 5 station|Terminal 5]] serve the passenger terminals; and [[Hatton Cross tube station|Hatton Cross]] the maintenance areas. The usual journey time from Heathrow Central to Central London is around 40–50 minutes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heathrowairport.com/transport-and-directions/trains |title=Heathrow Airport trains |publisher=Heathrow Airport |accessdate=27 January 2013}}</ref>
* [[South West Trains]] has a direct bus transfer to [[Feltham railway station]], allowing passengers to board a train towards [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]] or [[Windsor, Berkshire|Windsor]] or [[Clapham Junction]] and [[Waterloo Station]].
 
====Bus and coach====
Many buses and coaches operate from the large [[Heathrow airport central bus station]] serving Terminals 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 Coaches|National Express]] and [[Oxford Bus Company]] to various parts of the UK, including [[Victoria Coach Station]] in London<ref name="Ref_an">{{cite web|url=http://www.heathrowairport.com/transport-and-directions/buses-and-coaches/coaches |title=Coaches to Heathrow |publisher=Heathrow Airport |accessdate=27 January 2013}}</ref>
* [[National Express Hotel Hoppa|HotelHoppa]] buses connect each terminal with hotels in the Heathrow area<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heathrowairport.com/transport-and-directions/buses-and-coaches/hotel-buses |title=Heathrow hotel transfer buses |publisher=Heathrow Airport |accessdate=27 January 2013}}</ref>
* 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]], [[English Midlands|Midlands]], the North of England and the south coast of England
** [[Woking railway station]], for destinations 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]] ([[London Buses route 490|route 490]] from Terminals 4 and 5)<ref name="Ref_ao">{{cite web |url= http://www.heathrowairport.com/transport-and-directions/buses-and-coaches/rail_air-buses |title= Heathrow rail-air bus links |publisher= Heathrow Airport |accessdate=27 January 2013}}</ref>
* 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<ref name="Ref_ap">{{cite web |url= http://www.heathrowairport.com/transport-and-directions/buses-and-coaches/local-buses |title=Local buses to Heathrow |publisher=Heathrow Airport |accessdate=27 January 2013}}</ref>
* [[Night buses in London#N9|Night bus N9]] operates to central London at night when the trains do not operate
 
Between 1981 and 2004, the airport was linked to central London by a group of routes known as [[London Buses Airbus routes|Airbus]]. These routes carried A prefixes before their numbers; one route, A10, operates with such a number to [[Uxbridge]].
 
===Inter-terminal transport===
Terminals 2 and 3 are within walking distance of each other. Transfers to Terminal 4 and 5 are by [[Heathrow Express]] trains or bus. Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect train services between Heathrow Central and Terminals 4 and 5 are free of charge.<ref>{{cite web |title=Travel between terminals – Heathrow terminal transfers |url= http://www.heathrowairport.com/heathrow-airport-guide/travel-between-terminals |publisher=Heathrow Airport |accessdate=12 February 2015}}</ref> 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;<ref>{{cite web|title=Heathrow Airport Buses – Free Bus Routes|url=http://www.milesfaster.co.uk/information/heathrow-airport/heathrow-london-bus.htm|publisher=Milesfaster.co.uk|accessdate=7 October 2012}}</ref> passengers should tell the driver their destination to ensure they are not charged a fare.
 
Transit passengers remaining [[Airside (airport)|airside]] are provided with free dedicated transfer buses between terminals.
 
[[ULTra|ULTra Personal Rapid Transport]] opened in April 2011 to shuttle passengers between Terminal 5 and the business car park at a speed of up to {{convert|40|km/h|0|abbr=on}}. There are 21 small transportation pods that can each carry up to four adults, two children, and their luggage. The pods are battery-powered and run on a four-kilometre track. The capsules run on demand. The provider claims a 95% availability rate and no accidents so far.<ref name="Ref_2009c">{{Cite news|title=Heathrow to Debut Futuristic Travel Pods|publisher=PopSci.com.au|date=27 January 2009|url=http://www.popsci.com.au/scitech/article/2009-01/heathrow-debut-futuristic-travel-pods|accessdate=27 January 2009}}</ref> Plans to use the same technology to connect Terminals 2 and 3 to remote car parks were included in the draft 2014–2019 five-year master plan but have since been deferred due to other priorities.<ref>{{cite journal|title=My Pods|journal=futureairports|volume=2014|issue=1|pages=61|url=http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/b0ecc6ab#/b0ecc6ab/1|accessdate=8 September 2014}}</ref>
 
===Taxi===
Taxis are available at all terminals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heathrowairport.com/transport-and-directions/taxis-and-minicabs |title=Heathrow: Airport taxi |publisher=Heathrow Airport |accessdate=12 February 2015}}</ref>
<!-- removed taxi, schedule and fare information, as per WP:NOTTRAVEL -->
 
===Car===
[[File:Heathrow Airport - geograph.org.uk - 231165.jpg|thumb|Entrance at the southern end of the [[M4 Motorway]] spur, showing a scale model of Concorde, replaced since 2008 by the Emirates A380 scale model.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/emirates-launches-a380-model-at-lhr|title=Emirates launches A380 model at LHR – Business Traveller|author=Business Traveller|accessdate=2 June 2015}}</ref>]]
Heathrow is accessible via the nearby [[M4 motorway]] or [[A4 road (Great Britain)|A4 road]] (Terminals 2–3), 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-<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heathrowairport.com/transport-and-directions/heathrow-parking-options/heathrow-short-stay-parking |title=Heathrow Short Stay Parking |publisher=Heathrow Airport |accessdate=12 February 2015}}</ref> and long-stay<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heathrowairport.com/transport-and-directions/heathrow-parking-options/heathrow-long-stay-parking |title=Heathrow Long Stay Parking |publisher=Heathrow Airport |accessdate=12 February 2015}}</ref> multi-storey car parks. All the Heathrow forecourts are drop-off only.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Heathrow parking picking up and dropping off information|url = http://www.heathrow.com/transport-and-directions/heathrow-parking|website = www.heathrow.com|accessdate = 2015-12-21}}</ref> There are further car parks, not run by Heathrow Airport Holdings, 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 the northern runway connect the M4 Heathrow spur and the A4 road to Terminals 2–3. The two larger tunnels are each two lanes wide and are used for motorised traffic. The two smaller tunnels were originally reserved for pedestrians and bicycles; to increase traffic capacity the cycle lanes have been modified to each take a single lane of cars, although bicycles still have priority over cars. Pedestrian access to the smaller tunnels has been discontinued, with the free bus services being used instead.
 
===Bicycle===
There are (mainly off-road) bicycle routes to some of the terminals.<ref name="Ref_aq">[[Transport for London]] free maps 'London Cycling Guide 6' covers Terminals 1, 2 & 3 while 'London Cycling Guide 9' covers Terminal 4 (as of the June 2007 revision).</ref> 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.<ref name="Ref_ar">[http://www.heathrowairport.com/assets/Internet/Heathrow/Heathrow%20downloads/Static%20files/Cycle_Motorcycle.pdf Cycling and Motorcycling map].</ref>
 
==Accidents and incidents==
* On 3 March 1948, Sabena [[Douglas DC3]] OO-AWH crashed in fog. Three crew and 19 of the 22 passengers on board died.<ref name="Ref_2003">{{Cite news |url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-46-597343,00.html |work=The Times |location= London |title=On This Day The Times 3 March 1948 |date=3 March 2003 |accessdate=11 May 2010 |first=Fiona |last=Hamilton}} {{subscription required}}</ref>
* On 31 October 1950, [[British European Airways|BEA]] [[Vickers VC.1 Viking|Vickers Viking]] G-AHPN crashed at Heathrow after hitting the runway during a go-around. Three crew and 25 passengers died.<ref name="Ref_as">{{cite web |url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19501031-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network G-AHPN |publisher=Aviation Safety Network |accessdate=21 April 2011}}</ref>
* On 16 January 1955, [[British European Airways|BEA]] [[Vickers Viscount]] G-AMOK crashed into barriers whilst taking off in fog from a disused runway strip parallel to the desired runway. There were 2 injuries.<ref name="Kazakhstan Government">{{cite web|url= http://mid.gov.kz/images/stories/contents/050_en.pdf|title=ICAO Aircraft Accident Digest No 7, Page 46 |publisher=ICAO |accessdate=4 April 2015}}</ref>
* On 22 June 1955, [[British Overseas Airways Corporation|BOAC]] [[de Havilland Dove]] G-ALTM crashed just short of the runway during a filming flight, when the pilot shut-down the incorrect engine. There were no casualties.<ref name="Flight Global">{{cite web|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1956/1956%20-%200059.html|title=Flight 13 January 1956, Civil Aviation|publisher=Flightglobal |accessdate=4 April 2015}}</ref>
* On 1 October 1956, XA897, an [[Avro Vulcan]] strategic bomber of the [[Royal Air Force]], [[1956 London Heathrow Avro Vulcan crash|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.<ref name="Blackman142">Blackman, Tony (2007). ''Vulcan Test Pilot: My Experiences in the Cockpit of a Cold War Icon.'' London: Grub Street. ISBN 978-1-904943-88-4. p. 142</ref>
* 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.<ref name=ASN070160>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19600107-0 |title=Accident description |publisher=Aviation Safety Network |accessdate=14 September 2009}}</ref>
* 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.<ref name="Ref_at">{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19651027-0&lang=en |title=ASN Aircraft accident description Vickers 951 Vanguard G-APEE – London–Heathrow Airport (LHR) |publisher=Aviation Safety Network |accessdate=21 April 2011}}</ref><ref name="Scotsman">{{cite news |url= http://www.scotsman.com/news/night_the_sky_turned_to_flames_1_967404 |title=Night the sky turned to flames |work=The Scotsman |location=Edinburgh |date=1 December 2005 |accessdate=23 May 2012}}</ref>
* On 8 April 1968, [[BOAC Flight 712]] [[Boeing 707]] G-ARWE, departing for Australia via Singapore, suffered an engine fire just after take-off. The engine fell from the wing into a nearby gravel pit in [[Staines-upon-Thames|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 Jane Harrison|Barbara Harrison]], a flight attendant on board who helped with the evacuation, was posthumously awarded the [[George Cross]].<ref name="Ref_av">{{cite web|url=http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/women_gcs.htm |title=Women awarded the George Cross |publisher=Stephen-stratford.co.uk |accessdate=21 April 2011}}</ref>
* On 3 July 1968, the port flap operating rod of [[1968 Heathrow BKS Air Transport Airspeed Ambassador crash|G-AMAD]], an [[Airspeed Ambassador]] operated by BKS Air Transport failed due to fatigue thereby allowing the port flaps to retract. This resulted in a rolling movement to port which could not be controlled during the approach, causing the aircraft to contact the grass and swerve towards the terminal building. It hit two parked British European 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 on board. Trident G-ARPT was written off,<ref name="Ref_aw">{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19680703-0 |title=Aviation Safety Network G-AMAD |publisher=Aviation Safety Network |accessdate=21 April 2011}}</ref> 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 was damaged beyond economic repair when an engine caught fire on take-off. A successful emergency landing was made at Heathrow.<ref name=ASN22011970>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19700122-0 |title=Accident description |publisher=Aviation Safety Network |accessdate=8 October 2009}}</ref>
* On 18 June 1972, Trident G-ARPI, operating as [[British European Airways Flight 548|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.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/18/newsid_2515000/2515787.stm |title=1972: UK's worst air crash kills 118 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=7 May 2011 |date=18 June 1972}}</ref>
[[File:BA38 Crash.jpg|thumb|[[British Airways Flight 38]] which crash landed just short of the runway on 17 January 2008]]
* On 8 December 1996, a [[KLM Cityhopper]] [[Fokker 50]], PH-KVK, operating as KLM483 from Rotterdam, suffered a main gear collapse after landing on runway 09R. The aircraft's touchdown was normal, right mainwheel first. About 5 seconds after all the landing gear were in ground contact the left main landing gear collapsed and the aircraft left wing tip, left propeller and the rear left portion of the fuselage contacted the runway. The aircraft veered to the left coming to rest on the hard surface clear of the runway in Block 81.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/huge-delays-after-heathrow-crashlanding-1313721.html |title=Huge delays after Heathrow crash-landing |date=9 December 1996 |work=The Independent |location=London |accessdate=2 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19961208-0 |title= Accident description|work=Aviation Safety Net|accessdate=2 February 2013}}</ref>
* On 5 November 1997, a Virgin Atlantic [[Airbus A340-300]], G-VSKY, made an emergency landing following 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 recorder]]s should have a two-hour duration in aircraft registered before April 1998.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/864184.stm |title=Pilots praised for crash landing |author=Symonds, Tom |date=3 August 2000 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=7 May 2011}}</ref>
* On 17 January 2008, a British Airways [[Boeing 777|Boeing 777-236ER]], G-YMMM, operating [[British Airways Flight 38|flight BA038]] from Beijing, crash-landed at Heathrow. The aircraft landed on grass short of the south runway, then slid to the edge of the runway and stopped on the threshold, leading to eighteen minor injuries. The aircraft was later found to have suffered loss of thrust caused by fuel icing.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7598267.stm |title='Ice in fuel' caused BA jet crash |author=Symonds, Tom |date=4 September 2008 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=7 May 2011}}</ref>
 
===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 attempting to leave the United Kingdom on a false Canadian passport.<ref name="Borrell1968">{{Cite news |first= Clive |last=Borrell |title=Ramon Sneyd denies that he killed Dr King |url= http://archive.timesonline.co.uk/tol/viewArticle.arc?articleId=ARCHIVE-The_Times-1968-06-28-02-006&pageId=ARCHIVE-The_Times-1968-06-28-02 |work=The Times |location=London |page=2 |date=28 June 1968 |accessdate=13 January 2009}} {{subscription required}}</ref>
* On 6 September 1970, [[El Al Flight 219]] experienced an attempted hijack by two [[PFLP]] members. One hijacker was killed and the other was subdued as the plane made an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport.
* On 19 May 1974, the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]] planted a series of bombs in the Terminal 1 car park. Two people were injured by the explosions.<ref name="Ref_ax">{{cite web|url=http://www.milesfaster.co.uk/information/heathrow-airport/heathrow-history.htm|title=Heathrow Airport History|publisher=Milesfaster.co.uk|accessdate=31 May 2008}}</ref>
* On 26 November 1983, the [[Brink's-Mat robbery]] occurred, in which 6,800 gold bars worth nearly £26&nbsp;million were taken from a vault near Heathrow. Only a small amount of the gold was recovered, and only two men were convicted of the crime.<ref name="Ref_2000">{{Cite news |title= Brinks Mat gold |date=15 April 2000 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=31 May 2008 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/714289.stm}}</ref>
* 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 her unborn child [[Nizar Hindawi]]. The incident became known as the [[Hindawi Affair]].<ref name="Reynolds2002">{{Cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2581277.stm |title=Assad engages politics of politeness |date=16 December 2002 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=31 May 2008 |first=Paul |last=Reynolds}}</ref>
* 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. This also still remains the deadliest attack on a US aircraft. <ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/21/newsid_2539000/2539447.stm |title=1988: Jumbo jet crashes onto Lockerbie |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=7 May 2011 |date=21 December 1988}}</ref>
* In 1994, over a six-day period, Heathrow was targeted three times (8, 10, and 13 March) by the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]], which fired 12 mortars. Heathrow was a symbolic target due to its importance to the UK economy, and much disruption was caused when areas of the airport were closed over the period. The gravity of the incident was heightened by the fact that the Queen was being flown back to Heathrow by the RAF on 10 March.<ref name="Henderson1998">{{Cite book|title=Silent Swift Superb: The Story of the Vickers VC10|last=Henderson|first=Scott|year=1998|publisher=Scoval|location=Newcastle-upon-Tyne|isbn=1-901125-02-5|page=130}}</ref>
* In March 2002, thieves stole US$3 million that had arrived on a [[South African Airways]] flight.<ref name="Ref_2002a">{{Cite news |title=$3m heist at Heathrow |publisher=BBC News |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1880953.stm |date=19 March 2002|accessdate=31 May 2008}}</ref>
* 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.<ref name="Ref_ay">{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/02/12/nterr12.xml |date=* }}</ref>
* On 17 May 2004, Scotland Yard's [[Flying Squad]] foiled an attempt by seven men to steal £40&nbsp;million in gold bullion and a similar quantity of cash from the [[Swissport]] warehouse at Heathrow.<ref name="Ref_az">{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3723839.stm |title=Flying Squad foils £80m robbery |date=18 May 2004 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=7 May 2011}}</ref>
* On 10 August 2006, the airport became the focus of changes in security protocol, following the revelation of a supposed al-Qaeda [[2006 transatlantic aircraft plot|terrorist plot]]. New security rules were put in force immediately, causing additional restrictions in regards to carrying liquids onto flights. This caused longer queues and wait times at security. 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, if they were tasted first by passengers at the security checkpoint.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/aug/10/terrorism.politics|title='Mass murder terror plot' uncovered|date=10 August 2006|work=The Guardian |location=London |accessdate=6 May 2011|first1=David|last1=Batty|first2=Mark|last2=Oliver}}</ref>
* On 25 February 2008, [[Greenpeace]] activists protesting against the planned third runway managed to cross the tarmac and climb atop a British Airways [[Airbus A320 family|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 [[Vertical stabiliser|tailfin]]. By 11:00 GMT four arrests had been made.<ref name="Ref_2008e">{{Cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7262614.stm |title=Climate protest on Heathrow plane |date=25 February 2008 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=31 May 2008}}</ref>
* 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 Service|Metropolitan Police]] later said that the incident had not been terrorism related.<ref name="Ref_2008f">{{Cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7294745.stm |title=Man arrested over Heathrow alert |date=13 March 2008 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=31 May 2008}}</ref>
* On 13 July 2015, thirteen activists belonging to the climate change protest group [[Plane Stupid]] managed to break through the perimeter fence and get onto the northern runway. They chained themselves together in protest, disrupting hundreds of flights. All were eventually arrested.<ref>{{cite news|title=London Heathrow cancels flights due to protests over third runway |first1=Alan |last1=Dron |publisher=[[Air Transport World]] |date=13 July 2015 |url=http://atwonline.com/eco-aviation/london-heathrow-cancels-flights-due-protests-over-third-runway |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715021411/http://atwonline.com/eco-aviation/london-heathrow-cancels-flights-due-protests-over-third-runway |archivedate=15 July 2015 |df=dmy }}&nbsp;</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-33503167|title=Heathrow Airport climate change protest delays flights |date=13 July 2015 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=13 July 2015}}</ref>
 
===Other incidents===
* Flights from Heathrow were suspended from midday Thursday 15 April 2010 to 22:00 Tuesday 20 April 2010 due to risk of jet engines being [[Jet engines and volcanic ash|damaged by volcanic ash]] in the upper atmosphere caused by the [[2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull|eruption of Eyjafjallajökull]] in Iceland.<ref name="Ref_aba">{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8621407.stm |title=Icelandic volcanic ash alert grounds UK flights |publisher=BBC News |date=15 April 2010 |accessdate=21 April 2011}}</ref>
* On 18 December 2010, 'heavy' (9&nbsp;cm, according to the Heathrow Winter Resilience Enquiry)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baa.com/assets/Internet/BAA%20Airports/Downloads/Static%20files/BeggReport220311_BAA.pdf |title=Heathrow Winter Resilience Enquiry}}</ref> snowfall caused the closure of the entire airport, causing one of the largest incidents at Heathrow of all time. 4,000 flights were cancelled over five days and 9,500 passengers spent the night at Heathrow on 18 December following the initial snowfall.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12071442 |title=BAA launches inquiry into Heathrow Airport snow chaos |publisher=BBC News |date=23 December 2010 |accessdate=6 May 2011}}</ref> The problems were caused not only by snow on the runways, but also by snow and ice on the 198 parking stands which were all occupied by aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icax.co.uk/Deicing_Runways.html |title=De-icing Aircraft Parking Stands }}</ref>
*On 12 July 2013, an [[Ethiopian Airlines]] [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner]] parked at Heathrow airport caught fire.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/12/britain-airport-boeing-idUSL6N0FI3B120130712]. Reuters</ref> There were no passengers aboard and no injuries. The cause is under investigation.<ref>{{Cite news |url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23294760 |title= Heathrow shut after Boeing Dreamliner 787 fire |publisher= BBC News |date= 12 July 2013}}</ref>
<!--PLEASE SEE the discussion at WT:AV re the INCIDENT ON 24 MAY before adding it here-->
 
==Future expansion and plans==
 
===Runway and terminal expansion===
{{Main article|Expansion of Heathrow Airport}}
[[File:Take off queue, Heathrow, 10 Sept. 2010 - Flickr - PhillipC.jpg|thumb|British Airways aircraft queuing for take-off]]
In January 2009 the Transport Secretary [[Geoff Hoon]] announced that the [[Blair–Brown government|UK government]] supported the expansion of Heathrow by building a third {{Convert|2200|m|adj=on}} runway and a sixth terminal building.<ref name="Ref_abb">{{cite web|url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/heathrowconsultations/heathrowdecision/decisiondocument/decisiondoc.pdf |title=Britain's Transport Infrastructure: Adding Capacity at Heathrow: Decisions Following Consultation, January 2009 |publisher=Department of Transport |accessdate=16 January 2009 }}{{dead link|date=September 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> This decision followed the 2003 white paper on the [[Air transport and the environment (United Kingdom)#Airport development strategy|future of air transport in the UK]],<ref name="Ref_2003a">{{cite web|url=http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/whitepapers/air/thefutureofairtransportwhite5694|title=The Future of Air Transport|format=PDF|date=1 December 2003}}</ref> and a public consultation in November 2007.<ref name="Ref_2007a">{{Cite news|title=Industry backs third Heathrow runway as consultation opens|work=[[Flight International]]|date=22 November 2007|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/11/22/219826/industry-backs-third-heathrow-runway-as-consultation-opens.html|accessdate=8 December 2007}}</ref> This was a controversial decision which met with widespread opposition because of the expected greenhouse gas emissions, impact on local communities, as well as noise and air pollution concerns.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.historyandpolicy.org/policy-papers/papers/maplin-the-treasury-and-londons-third-airport-in-the-1970s|title=Maplin: the Treasury and London’s third airport in the 1970s|last=Needham|first=Duncan|date=27 October 2014|website=History & Policy|publisher=History & Policy|access-date=27 July 2016}}</ref>
 
Before the [[United Kingdom general election, 2010|2010 general election]] the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties announced that they would prevent the construction of any third runway or further material expansion of the airport's operating capacity. The Mayor of London, then [[Boris Johnson]], took the position that London needs more airport capacity, favouring the construction of an entirely [[Thames Estuary Airport|new airport]] in the [[Thames Estuary]] rather than expanding Heathrow.<ref name="Ref_abe">{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7722261.stm |title= Heathrow's new runway |publisher=BBC News |date=15 January 2009 |accessdate=21 April 2011}}</ref> After the Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition took power, it was announced that the third runway expansion was cancelled.<ref name=Cancelled>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8678282.stm |title=Heathrow third runway plans scrapped by new government |publisher=BBC News |date=12 May 2010 |accessdate=21 April 2011}}</ref> Two years later, leading Conservatives were reported to have changed their minds.<ref name="PossibleUTurn">{{Cite news |title=Top Tories admit: we got it wrong on third runway |work=The Observer |location=London |date=24 March 2012 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/mar/24/tories-third-runway-heathrow |author1=Helm, Toby |author2=Doward, Jamie }}</ref>
 
Another proposal for expanding Heathrow's capacity was the [[Heathrow Hub]], which aims to extend both runways to a total length of about 7,000 metres and divide them into four so that they each provide two, full length runways, allowing simultaneous take-offs and landings while decreasing noise levels.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f0a05b64-8987-11e2-ad3f-00144feabdc0.html|title=Pilot plots longer Heathrow runways|work=Financial Times|location=London}}</ref><ref name="CPS paper">[http://www.cps.org.uk/files/reports/original/130705094049-DoubleuponHeathrow.pdf CPS paper – Double Upon Heathrow – July 2013]</ref>
 
In July 2013, the airport submitted three new proposals for expansion to the [[Airports Commission]], which was established to review airport capacity in the south-east of England. Each involved the construction of a third runway, either to the north, northwest or southwest of the airport.<ref>{{cite news |date=17 July 2013 |title=Heathrow submits third runway options to Davies Commission |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23337754 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=13 January 2014}}</ref> The commission released its interim report in December 2013, shortlisting three options: the north-west third runway option at Heathrow, extending an existing runway at Heathrow, and a second runway at [[Gatwick Airport]]. After this report was publshed, the government confirmed that no options had been ruled out for airport expansion in the south-east and that a new runway would not be built at Heathrow before 2015.<ref name="BBC-shortlist"/> The full report was published on 1 July 2015, and backed a third, north-west, runway at Heathrow.<ref>{{cite news |date=1 July 2015|title=Airports Commission releases final report |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/airports-commission-releases-final-report |work=gov.uk |accessdate=1 July 2015}}</ref>
Reaction to the report was generally negative, particularly from London Mayor Boris Johnson. One senior Conservative told [[Channel 4]]: "Howard Davies has dumped an utter steaming pile of poo on the Prime Minister's desk."<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/heathrow-expansion-this-final-conclusion-has-simply-fanned-the-airport-flames-10358766.html | location=London |title=Heathrow expansion: This final 'conclusion' has simply fanned the airport flames| work=The Independent}}</ref>
On 25 October 2016 the government confirmed that Heathrow would be allowed to build a third runway; however a final decision would not be taken until winter of 2017/18, after consultations and government votes. The earliest opening year would be 2025.
 
===Heathrow railway hub===
A plan to make Heathrow an international railway exchange has also been proposed with the potential construction of [[Heathrow Hub railway station]],<ref name="Oakeshott2009">{{Cite news |url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5439472.ece |work=The Times |location=London |title=Heathrow train plan to allay environmental fears |first1=Isabel |last1=Oakeshott |first2=Chris |last2=Gourlay |date=4 January 2009 |accessdate=11 May 2010}} {{subscription required}}</ref> built on a link to the [[High Speed 2]] (HS2) railway line.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/highspeedrail/ |title=High Speed Rail: Investing in Britain's Future |publisher=Department for Transport |accessdate=7 May 2011}}</ref> This plan was confirmed to be outside the plans for both Phase 1 & Phase 2 of the plans for HS2 in March 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-31814933 |title=HS2: Heathrow spur plans dropped by transport minister}}</ref>
 
===Airtrack===
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]].<ref>{{cite news |date=24 July 2009 |title=Airlink application lodged by BAA |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8167990.stm |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=22 January 2014}}</ref> 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 stated that the scheme should add significantly to its aim of increasing the proportion of people using public transport to travel to the airport.<ref name="Ref_abd">{{cite web |url=http://www.baa.com/assets/Internet/Heathrow/Heathrow%20downloads/Static%20files/Airtrack_Statement_of_Aims_D0049.pdf |title=The Need For Heathrow Airtrack |publisher=BAA |accessdate=7 May 2011}}</ref> In April 2011 BAA announced that it was abandoning the project,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13042740 |title=Heathrow Airtrack Waterloo rail link shelved by BAA |work=BBC News London |date=11 April 2011 |accessdate=11 April 2011 }}</ref> citing the unavailability of government subsidy and other priorities for Heathrow,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rail.co/2011/04/11/heathrow-no-option-but-to-withdraw-proposed-airtrack-link-to-staines/ |title=Heathrow: 'No option but to withdraw proposed Airtrack link to Staines' |last=Samuel |first=A. |work=Rail News from Rail.co |date=11 April 2011 |accessdate=11 April 2011 }}</ref> such as linking to [[Crossrail]] and [[HS2]].
 
===Heathrow/Gatwick rail link===
{{main article|Heathwick}}
In late 2011 the [[Department for Transport]] began studying the feasibility of a high-speed rail link between Gatwick and Heathrow Airport. This rail link would form part of a plan to combine the UK's two biggest airports into a "collective" or "virtual hub" dubbed ''Heathwick''. The scheme envisages a {{convert|35|mi|km|adj = on}} high-speed rail route linking the two airports in 15 minutes, with trains travelling at a top speed of {{convert|180|mph|km/h}} parallel to the [[M25 motorway|M25]] and passengers passing through immigration or check-in only once.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15227879 | publisher=BBC News | title=Heathrow and Gatwick airports: Ministers mull rail link | date=8 October 2011}}</ref>
 
===Heathrow City===
The [[Mayor of London]]'s office and [[Transport for London]] commissioned plans in the event of Heathrow's closure—to replace it by a large built-up area.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2693748/Welcome-Heathrow-City-Architects-reveal-190-000-home-town-spring-UKs-current-main-hub-airport-closes.html|title=Heathrow City, 190,000-home town that would open if airport closes|work=Dail Mail|location=London|first=Steph|last=Cockroft|date=16 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cf21ac4e-0cb8-11e4-90fa-00144feabdc0.html#slide0|title=Drones and homes replace runways in 'Heathrow City' plans|work=Financial Times|location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.expressandstar.com/business/city-news/2014/07/15/heathrow-city-designs-set-out/|title='Heathrow City' designs set out |work= Express & Star}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Crerar |first=Pippa |title=Vision of a new London borough on site of abandoned Heathrow is revealed |url=http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/vision-of-a-new-london-borough-on-site-of-abandoned-heathrow-is-revealed-8984933.html |accessdate=19 February 2015 |work=London Evening Standard |date=5 December 2013}}</ref> Some of the plans seem to show terminal 5, or part of it, kept as a shopping centre.
 
==See also==
{{Portal|United Kingdom|London|Aviation}}
* [[Airports of London]]
* [[Heathrow Worldwide Distribution Centre]]
* [[Hello Goodbye (TV series)]]
* [[List of airports in the United Kingdom and the British Crown Dependencies]]
 
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
 
==References==
 
===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}
 
===Bibliography===
* Cotton, Jonathan; Mills, John & Clegg, Gillian. (1986) ''Archaeology in West Middlesex''. Uxbridge: London Borough of Hillingdon ISBN 0-907869-07-6
* Gallop, Alan. (2005) ''Time Flies: Heathrow At 60''. Stroud: Sutton Publishing ISBN 0-7509-3840-4
* Halpenny, Bruce B. (1992) ''Action Stations Vol.8: Military Airfields of Greater London''. ISBN 1-85260-431-X
* Sherwood, Philip. (1990) ''The History of Heathrow''. Uxbridge: London Borough of Hillingdon ISBN 0-907869-27-0
* Sherwood, Philip (editor). (1993) ''The Villages of Harmondsworth''. West Middlesex Family History Society, ISBN 0 9511476 2 5
* Sherwood, Philip. (1999) ''Heathrow: 2000 Years of History''. Stroud: Sutton Publishing ISBN 0-7509-2132-3
* Sherwood, Philip. (2006) ''Around Heathrow Past & Present''. Sutton Publishing ISBN 0-7509-4135-9
** (Contains many pairs of photographs, old (or in one case a painting), and new, each pair made from the same viewpoint.)
* Sherwood, Philip. (2009) ''Heathrow: 2000 Years of History''. Stroud: The History Press ISBN 978-0750921329
* Sherwood, Philip. (2012) ''Around Heathrow Through Time''. Amberley Publishing, ISBN 978-1-4456-0846-4
* Sherwood, Tim. (1999) ''Coming in to Land: A Short History of Hounslow, Hanworth and Heston Aerodromes'' 1911–1946. [http://www.hounslowlibraries.org/ Heritage Publications (Hounslow Library)] ISBN 1-899144-30-7
* Smith, Graham. (2003) ''Taking to the Skies: the Story of British Aviation 1903–1939''. Countryside ISBN 1-85306-815-2
* Smith, Ron. (2002) ''British Built Aircraft Vol.1''. Greater London: Tempus ISBN 0-7524-2770-9
* Sturtivant, Ray. (1995) ''Fairey Aircraft: in Old Photographs''. Alan Sutton ISBN 0-7509-1135-2
* Taylor, H.A. (1974) ''Fairey Aircraft since 1915''. Putnam ISBN 0-370-00065-X.
* Taylor, John WR. (1997) ''Fairey Aviation: Archive Photographs''. Chalford ISBN 0-7524-0684-1
 
==External links==
{{Commons category|London Heathrow Airport}}
{{wikivoyage|Heathrow Airport}}
* {{official website|http://www.heathrowairport.com}}
* [http://www.lhr-acc.org/ Heathrow Airport Consultative Committee]
* [http://ivao.co.uk/atc/quickview/lllookup.pdf Detailed maps of taxiways, stands etc]
* [https://archive.org/details/london_airport_TNA The building of Heathrow] Video at the [[Internet Archive]]
* [http://www.heathrowairwatch.org.uk/ Heathrow Air Watch – Information on pollution levels around Heathrow]
 
{{Airports in the United Kingdom}}
{{London Heathrow Airport}}
{{London transport}}
{{London landmarks}}
 
{{Authority control}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heathrow}}
[[Category:Heathrow Airport| ]]
[[Category:Airports in the London region]]
[[Category:Airports established in 1929]]
[[Category:Heathrow Airport Holdings]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Hillingdon]]
[[Category:Public inquiries in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Transport in Hillingdon]]
[[Category:Proposed transport infrastructure in London]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Hillingdon]]
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