Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport (IATA: LHR, ICAO: EGLL) is the principal international airport serving London. It lies west of central London and operates as a two-runway, four-terminal hub. Heathrow handled 84.462 million passengers in 2025, the highest annual total in its history, and accounted for 28.2% of all passengers reported by UK airports that year.[1][2]
Location and role
The airport reference point is about 12 nautical miles west of London at an elevation of 83 ft. The airfield occupies 1,227 hectares and is bounded by dense urban development and major roads. Its location and constrained two-runway layout make the use of runway, stand and terminal capacity central to airport planning.[3][4]
Heathrow is a major base for British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways. It also accommodates a broad range of international network carriers. The airport's role is predominantly long-haul and connecting traffic, although domestic and European services feed the hub and provide point-to-point links. Airline and terminal assignments change, so the airport's live terminal finder is the appropriate source for a particular flight.[5]
History
Aviation on the site predates the present airport. Aircraft manufacturer Richard Fairey bought land there in 1930 and developed the Great West Aerodrome for assembly and flight testing. During the Second World War the government requisitioned land for a larger airfield, and runway construction began in 1944.[6]
The site transferred to civil aviation in 1946. Early passengers used temporary facilities, including converted military tents, before permanent central-area buildings were developed. The airport was known as London Airport in its early civil years and was officially renamed Heathrow Airport in 1966.[6][7]
The original Europa Building, later Terminal 2, opened in 1955. Terminal 3 followed in 1961, Terminal 1 in 1968 and Terminal 4 in 1986. Terminal 5 opened in 2008. The original Terminal 2 was demolished and replaced by a new terminal, known as the Queen's Terminal, which opened in 2014. Terminal 1 closed to passengers in 2015, leaving Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5 in operation.[8][2]
Ownership, operation and regulation
Heathrow Airport Limited operates the airport. Its parent, Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited, is owned through FGP Topco Limited by a consortium of infrastructure and sovereign investors. At the data date the disclosed interests were Ardian 32.61%, Qatar Investment Authority 20.00%, Public Investment Fund 15.01%, GIC 11.20%, Australian Retirement Trust 11.18% and China Investment Corporation 10.00%.[4]
The UK Civil Aviation Authority regulates Heathrow's aeronautical charges and service quality because of its market position. Competition matters fall within the remit of the Competition and Markets Authority, while separate public bodies regulate aviation safety, security, border control and environmental compliance.[9]
Airfield
Heathrow has two east–west parallel runways. The airport normally uses segregated operations, with one runway assigned to arrivals and the other to departures. Their roles generally change around 15:00 to give communities beneath the final approach paths a scheduled period of relief, although weather, maintenance and operational conditions can alter the pattern.[2]
| Runway | Dimensions | Surface | Usual role |
| 09L/27R | 3,902 m × 50 m | Grooved asphalt | Arrivals or departures according to the operating alternation |
| 09R/27L | 3,658 m × 50 m | Grooved asphalt | Arrivals or departures according to the operating alternation |
The dimensions are Heathrow's published figures; the UK Aeronautical Information Publication records the northern runway as 3,901 m, reflecting the operational survey data used in the AIP. The AIP is controlling for flight operations.[4][3]
The 87 m control tower entered service in 2007. It stands away from the central terminal area so that controllers can see the runways, taxiways and stands across the expanded airport.[4]
Heathrow's current planning limit is 480,000 air transport movements a year. It recorded 475,596 passenger air transport movements in 2025, equivalent to about 99% of that limit. Capacity is therefore influenced not only by passenger-terminal space but also by the number and timing of runway movements.[2]
Terminals
The four operational passenger terminals are distributed across three parts of the airport. Terminals 2 and 3 occupy the central area between the runways, Terminal 4 is south of the southern runway and Terminal 5 is west of the main airfield.[4]
| Terminal | Current building opened | Approximate floor area | Operational character |
| Terminal 2 | 2014 | 40,000 m² | Used by many Star Alliance airlines and a number of other carriers |
| Terminal 3 | 1961 | 98,962 m² | Mixed long-haul terminal used by several oneworld carriers and other international airlines |
| Terminal 4 | 1986 | 105,481 m² | Mixed international terminal, including SkyTeam and Gulf and Asian carriers |
| Terminal 5 | 2008 | 353,020 m² | Principally British Airways, with selected partner services |
The floor areas and opening years are reported by Heathrow Airport Holdings. The descriptions are an operational overview rather than a permanent airline allocation: British Airways, for example, can use more than one terminal, and codeshare partners may depart from different terminals. Passengers should confirm the operating carrier and terminal for the date of travel.[2][5]
Terminal 5 comprises the main terminal building and satellite buildings linked by an underground transit system and walkways. The central-area terminals are connected landside by pedestrian routes and rail services; transfers between other terminal areas use rail, Underground or dedicated airside connections according to the itinerary.[5][10]
Airlines and operations
Heathrow's timetable combines British Airways hub operations with services from airlines based across Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Virgin Atlantic operates a substantial long-haul network from the airport. Other large operators include American Airlines, United Airlines, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific, although frequencies and terminal assignments vary by season.[5]
Airport capacity is managed through co-ordinated slots. A slot permits an airline to use airport infrastructure at a specific time; it is distinct from an air traffic control clearance and does not guarantee that a particular flight will operate. Heathrow's high utilisation makes arrival and departure timing, aircraft size and passenger load factor important drivers of total throughput.[2]
Passenger traffic and cargo
Heathrow handled 84.462 million terminal passengers in 2025, compared with 83.857 million in 2024. The 0.7% increase came with a rise in passenger air transport movements and a small increase in average aircraft size, while the reported passenger load factor was 80.2%.[1][2]
| Measure | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
| Terminal passengers | 83.857 million | 84.462 million | +0.7% |
| Passenger air transport movements | 471,298 | 475,596 | +0.9% |
| Cargo including mail | 1.580 million tonnes | 1.592 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| Average seats per passenger movement | 220.6 | 221.5 | +0.4% |
| Passenger load factor | 80.7% | 80.2% | −0.5 percentage points |
Heathrow is also a major air-cargo gateway. Much of its freight travels in the lower holds of passenger aircraft rather than on dedicated freighters, tying cargo capacity to the long-haul passenger network. The 2025 total of 1.592 million tonnes includes mail.[2]
Ground transport
Heathrow owns the rail infrastructure between the airport and Airport Junction on the Great Western Main Line, including tunnels, track and airport stations. Heathrow Express links Paddington with Heathrow Central, serving Terminals 2 and 3, and Terminal 5. The advertised journey between Paddington and Heathrow Central takes 15 minutes, with Terminal 4 reached using a free connecting service.[2][10]
The Elizabeth line serves stations for Terminals 2 and 3, Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 and provides through services across central London to east London and beyond. London Underground's Piccadilly line also serves all four passenger terminals; Heathrow describes the typical journey to central London as about 50 minutes.[11][12]
Local buses and longer-distance coaches serve the terminals. Heathrow Central Bus Station lies between Terminals 2 and 3, while Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 have their own bus and coach stops. Road access is principally from the M4, M25 and surrounding A-roads, with terminal-specific approaches and parking facilities.[13]
Capacity and proposed expansion
Proposals for a third runway have been debated for decades. In November 2025 the UK government selected Heathrow Airport Limited's north-west runway proposal as the basis for further development work. The proposal remained subject to revision of national airports policy, environmental and planning assessment, consultation and development consent; the announcement was not permission to begin construction.[14]
The government's stated programme envisaged a planning decision by 2029 and, if all approvals and delivery conditions were met, a new runway by 2035. These are policy objectives rather than an operational opening date. Until an expansion scheme completes the statutory process, Heathrow remains a two-runway airport with the existing annual movement limit.[14][2]
Related pages
Sources
Heathrow company FAQs — Heathrow Airport Limited
Heathrow Airport Holdings annual report and financial statements 2025 — Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited
UK airport data 2025: annual — UK Civil Aviation Authority
UK Aeronautical Information Publication: EGLL London Heathrow — NATS
Heathrow terminals and airfield — Heathrow Airport Limited
Heathrow Airport Limited's third runway proposal will be basis for expansion — UK Department for Transport