Heathrow Aiport - Facts and Useful Information

Heathrow Airport is renowned around the globe as the hub of the aviation world and is the busiest international airport in terms of global passenger traffic.

• Heathrow Airport services the travel needs of approximately 64 million passengers a year and in addition is also one of the world's busiest cargo ports.
• Situated in the London Borough of Hillingdon, 24km from London, Heathrow Airport has 2 main runways as well as a cross wind runway.
• There are approximately ninety different airlines that have made their base at Heathrow Airport, which already serves over one hundred and eighty destinations in roughly ninety countries.

1. It was requisitioned by the government during World War II, who planned to build a military aerodrome near the village of Heath Row. However, the war ended before it was completed, and it was handed over to the Air Ministry in 1946.

2. The airport was originally called London Airport, and was not renamed ‘Heathrow’ until 1966.

3. The first flight to take off from Heathrow was to Buenos Aires.

4. In the days when there were only two terminals, they were called ‘Europa’ and ‘Oceanic’, now known as Terminals 2 and 3 respectively.

5. 70,000 people work at Heathrow, 4,500 of whom are employed by BAA

6. The airport handles 67m passengers a year, making it the Europe’s busiest airport, and the world’s third busiest, after Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta and Beijing International.

7. Together, Heathrow’s two runways stretch for 4.7 miles.

8. The five most popular international destinations for passengers travelling from Heathrow are, in order: New York, Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

9. In 2008/9, Heathrow landing fees were set at a maximum of £12.80 per passenger.

10. Heathrow has its third busiest month in July.

The price of parking at Heathrow airport hit the headlines recently when a Which? Car survey was released claiming that travellers leaving their cars at the airport can pay nearly three times as much as those parking at airports in the north of England.

The good news, though, is that there are ways in which you can easily ensure you’re getting the best possible deal when taking advantage of Heathrow airport parking. There are a number of parking options at the airport so the first thing to do is to familiarise yourself with the different options available to you.

From straightforward parking to park and ride and ‘meet and greet’ services, there are a whole host of alternatives to choose from so be sure to do your research. Also look into how long transfer times are between your chosen car park and the airport terminal from which you’ll be travelling from; you’ll need to factor that information in when working out the best time to set off for the airport.

Once you’ve found a provider that offers the right service for your needs, head to its website to look into pricing. By booking early, you can ensure that you make a significant saving over the price you would pay if you simply rolled up and paid on the day of departure.

Enter the dates of your trip – and the fact that you’re travelling from Heathrow if you’re using a site that offers parking at several different airports – and you’ll be presented with your options along with the relevant pricing. If you’re happy with what you’ve been offered you can enter your payment details there and then and it’ll all be booked, leaving you free to concentrate on getting everything else sorted for your trip.

If you want to be completely sure that you’re not paying over the odds for your airport parking, a good idea is to use a specialised comparison site. Simply enter the airport you’re travelling from and the dates you’ll be away for and you’ll be presented with the services offered by major airport parking providers along with the associated costs.

Be warned, though: the prices you’re quoted won’t necessarily be the same as the prices you’ll pay on the day if you leave it to the last minute, so always book early whenever possible.

"By the year 2010 it is estimated that the number of people travelling by air will be as many as 140 million in London and between 85-90 million of these will be at Heathrow Airport."