Get To Know About The Available Airports In London!

London is a popular tourist destination mainly because of the different sights it offers to both tourists and locals alike. Apart from spectacular musicals held in its most popular theatres, and other vibrant tourist spots that are waiting to be discovered, every person will surely enjoy wandering around London once they have the chance to visit the city. If you are wondering about the easiest route you can take when you plan to visit London, we have listed available airports in the city just for you. Of course, do not forget to ask for our help when it comes to cheap London airport transfers.

Heathrow Airport

Heathrow Airport is known as the largest airport in London, serving as the main gateway into the UK for non-European visitors. It is located in the London Borough of Hillingdon with four terminals and two parallel runways serving the needs of passengers coming to and from the UK. While management has tried to propose expansion for the airport, many of its projects in the past have been cancelled due to its location, i.e. the city’s western suburbs. It was in October 2016 when approval was granted by the Government for the construction of the new northwest runway for the airport.

Note that the airport had been once ranked as the third busiest airport in the world after handling approximately 70 million passengers for one whole year. It ranks as the second busiest next to Dubai International Airport, in terms of the number of international passengers. It is also the busiest airport all over Europe and UK, in terms of passenger numbers. Serving six continents all over the world, Heathrow is the base for British Airways. Also known for serving short-haul flights, it remains as a popular arrival point for passengers coming from the USA.

Gatwick Airport

Ranked as the second busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the eighth in the European continent, Gatwick Airport is also regarded as the second busiest among all single runway airports all over the world. It is the primary base of UK’s largest airline by number of passengers, easyJet, and also serves as a base for Norwegian Air Shuttle, TUI Airways, and British Airways. It is best known for handling the most number of destinations among all UK airports.

Having two terminals, one at the North and the other at the South, this airport in West Sussex is connected by M23 to the motorway network. It has its very own railway station, with the likes of Thameslink and Southern trains that serve the needs of both London Bridge and London Victoria stations. Meanwhile, the Gatwick Express shuttle is used to transfer passengers to and from London Victoria.

London City Airport

Situated in the London Borough of Newham, around four miles from Canary Wharf, this airport is known to be the closest to central London. The location then limits the size of the airport which has a very short single runway. Hence, no large aircraft has been allowed to use it in the past. This has prevented all sorts of long-haul flights from happening. It was in 2009 when the British Airways started to operate its flight to New York JFK through the City Airport, via Shannon using the aircraft Airbus 318. To date, the first commercial flight ever completed via the airport is one that came from Zurich. It took place in August 2017 with passengers on-board the Bombardier CS100. Now, it has become popular with business travellers and has served flights not just across the UK but also northern Europe.

Luton Airport

Regarded as the fourth largest airport in London, Luton Airport is also the fifth busiest among all airports in the United Kingdom. It ranks behind Heathrow and London City airports in terms of being closest to the UK capital. It gets the most passenger capacity from low-cost carriers, namely Wizz Air and easyJet. Located on the border of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, the Luton Airport Parkway railway station can be reached under 30 minutes, from London St. Pancras via East Midlands Trains.

Stansted Airport

Known as the third busiest airport in London and the fifth busiest in the UK, this airport located in Essex is also ranked as the 22nd busiest all over Europe. It is the operational base for the largest low-cost carrier in Europe, Ryanair. It has been serving more scheduled flights to various European destinations than other airports located in the UK. It is also used as the base of Harrods Aviation, thus allowing VIP aircrafts such as the US President’s Air Force One to land there twice in 2009 and 2016 respectively.

Southend Airport

Just like Stansted Airport, Southend Airport is located in Essex. It has started expanding its commercial flight operations to destinations in Ireland, back in 2011 and to mainland Europe in 2012. Those were the years when the low-cost carrier easyJet started operations via the airport’s new terminal and railway station. There was a time that it became the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom.

Other Airports in London

Apart from airports serving commercial flights, there are also other civil airports in London, mainly serving general aviation flights. Among them include Lydd Airport, London Biggin Hill Airport, London Oxford Airport, Blackbushe Airport, and Stapleford Aerodome. Other civil airports like Croydon Airport, London Air Park, and Heston Aerodome have been closed though. There are also some on-going talks regarding building a new airport to accommodate the needs of passengers and to decongest the busiest airports in the city.

Access to and From these London Airports

While there are specific railway stations that make access to and from the above-mentioned airports easier for passengers, there is a much easier way for you to get rid of the stress of being transferred from the airport to your London destination or from your London whereabouts to the airport. Airport transfers are great solutions to the stress brought about by having to wait for the next train to arrive after a long flight. These are convenient choices for people rushing to get to their next stop or passengers who do not want to miss their flights.