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London Heathrow Airport , often referred to as '''Heathrow''', is the United Kingdom 's busiest and best-connected Airport . It is the busiest airport in Europe in terms of total passenger traffic, and the third-busiest behind Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport and Frankfurt International Airport in terms of plane movements and cargo traffic. In terms of International Passenger Traffic Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in the world. By total passenger traffic it is the world's third-busiest airport. Heathrow is located in the London Borough Of Hillingdon , 15 miles (24 km) west of Charing Cross in Central London . History Heathrow began in the 1930s as the Great Western Aerodrome, privately owned by was then the main airport for London. In 1944 Heathrow came under control of the Ministry of Air. Harold Balfour (later Lord Balfour), then Under- Secretary Of State For Air ( 1938 - 1944 ), wrote in his 1973 autobiography ''Wings over Westminster'' that he deliberately deceived the government committee that a requisition was necessary in order that Heathrow could be used as a base for long-range transport aircraft in support of the war with Japan. In fact, Balfour wrote, he always intended the site to be used for civil aviation and used a wartime emergency requisition order to avoid a lengthy and costly Public Inquiry . The Royal Air Force never made use of the airport and control was transferred to the Ministry of Civil Aviation on 1 January 1946 , the first civil flight that day being to Buenos Aires , via Lisbon for refuelling. The airport opened fully for civilian use on 31 May 1946 . By 1947 Heathrow had three runways with three more under construction. These older runways, built for Piston-engined planes, were short, and criss-crossed to allow flights in all wind conditions. The first concrete slab of the first modern runway was ceremonially placed by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 . She also opened the first terminal building, the Europa Building (later Terminal 2), in 1955. Shortly afterwards the Oceanic Terminal (later Terminal 3) became operational. Terminal 1 was opened in 1968, completing the cluster of buildings at the centre of the Heathrow site. The location of the original terminals in the centre of the site has since become a constraint to expansion. This decision was due to an early assumption that airline passengers would not require extensive car parking, as air travel was then only affordable to the wealthy, who would be chauffeur-driven. In 1977 , the London Underground was extended to Heathrow, connecting the airport with Central London in just under an hour via the Piccadilly Line . Currently the loop to Terminal 4 is inactive, with all underground trains terminating at the station for Terminals 1, 2 and 3. This is to allow the connection of a spur line to Terminal 5; this extension is currently dubbed "PiccEx", an abbreviation of "Piccadilly Line '''Ex'''tension". The original T4/T123 stations loop is expected to re-open in 2007 . Terminal 4 was built away from the three older terminals, to the south of the southern runway. The terminal opened in 1986 and became the home for then newly privatised British Airways . In 1987 , the British Government Privatised the British Airports Authority (now just "BAA plc"), which included seven of Britain's airports, including Heathrow. Terrorism On 17 April 1986, Semtex explosives were found in the bag of an Irishwoman attempting to board an El Al flight. The explosives had been given to her by her Jordanian fiancé Nizar Hindawi , and the incident became known as the Hindawi Affair . Over a period of six days in 1994 Heathrow was targeted three times ( 8 March , 10 March and 13 March ) by the IRA, who fired twelve mortars. Heathrow was an important symbolic target, due its importance to the UK economy and the massive disruption caused when areas of the airport were closed over the period. Coverage of the incident was heightened by the fact that the Queen was being flown back to Heathrow by the RAF on 10 March . In February 2003 the British Army was deployed to Heathrow, along with 1,000 extra police officers, due to intelligence reports that Al-Qaeda terrorists might launch Surface-to-air Missile attacks on British or American airports. Security Heathrow Airport . A British Airways Boeing 777 -200 is being towed across the road on its way to the maintenance hangars]] Routine policing of the airport is performed by the Aviation Security unit of the Metropolitan Police , however The Army , including armoured vehicles of the Household Cavalry , has occasionally been deployed to the airport during periods of heightened security. On 26 November 1983 the Brinks Mat Robbery occurred, when 6,800 Gold bars worth nearly £26 million were taken from the Brink's Mat vault near Heathrow. Only a fraction of the gold was ever recovered and only two men were convicted of the crime. In March 2002 , thieves stole US $3 million that had arrived on a South African Airways flight. Scotland Yard's Flying Squad foiled an attempt by seven men to steal £ 40 million in gold bullion and a similar quantity of cash from the Swissport Warehouse at Heathrow on 17 May 2004 . So notorious is Heathrow's reputation it is sometimes referred to as 'Theifrow'. {Link without Title} Air disasters with connections to Heathrow On April 8 , 1968 , BOAC Boeing 707 G-ARWE, flying to Australia via Singapore, had an engine fire just after take-off. The engine fell from the wing into the nearby Queen Mother reservoir in Datchet , but the plane managed to perform an emergency landing with the wing on fire. The plane burnt out on the ground — five people, 4 passengers and a stewardess, died; 122 survived. On June 18 , 1972 , British European Airways Flight 548 , flying from London Heathrow to Brussels, crashed some 2½ minutes after take off into a field near Staines . All 109 passengers and nine crew on the Hawker-Siddeley Trident -1C were killed in the ''Staines air disaster'' {Link without Title} . On June 23 , 1985 , Air India Flight 182 , flying Montreal -London- Delhi - Mumbai , exploded in midair over the Atlantic Ocean west of the Republic Of Ireland , killing all on board. On December 21 , 1988 , Pan Am Flight 103 , Frankfurt – London Heathrow – New York – Detroit , was destroyed in mid-air over Lockerbie in southern Scotland by a bomb, killing all on board and several on the ground. The bombing was blamed on two Libyan nationals and in January 2001 a Libyan National, Abdelbaset ali Mohmed al-Megrahi was jailed for life. {Link without Title} Heathrow today Heathrow at present has four passenger terminals (numbered 1 to 4) and a cargo terminal. Permission for a fifth passenger terminal (Terminal 5) was granted in November 2001 , and construction is now well under way. As originally constructed, Heathrow had six runways, arranged in three pairs at different angles, with the passenger terminal in the centre. With growth in the required length for runways, Heathrow presently has just two parallel runways running east-west. Runway 23, a short runway for use in strong South-Westerly winds, was recently decommissioned and now forms part of taxiway A. The Department For Transport has issued a 'consultation document' in which one option is the construction of a third parallel east-west runway for frequent use, involving the demolition of local residential areas. Overnight flights into Heathrow are currently restricted by Government order, with preference for quieter airliners, but could be eliminated entirely if the government loses its appeal against a recent judgement by the European Court Of Human Rights . The airport has been owned and operated by BAA since before its privatisation in 1987 . In order to prevent Monopoly profits, the amount BAA is allowed to charge airlines to land aeroplanes at Heathrow is heavily regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority . Until 1 April 2003 , the annual increase of the cost of landing per passenger was capped at Inflation minus 3%. This has meant that landing charges have been falling in absolute terms. The average landing cost per passenger in April 2003 was £6.13, similar to landing charges at Gatwick and Stansted . In order to reflect the fact that Heathrow, as an international hub, is more popular with passengers and airlines, the CAA agreed that BAA will be allowed to increase landing charges at Heathrow by inflation plus 6.5% per year for the next five years. When Terminal 5 opens in 2008, landing charges are expected to be £8.23 per passenger. Landing fee restrictions at Gatwick and Stansted will remain tighter. Whilst the cost of a landing slot is determined by the CAA and BAA, the allocation of landing slots at Heathrow to airlines is carried out by Airport Co-ordination Limited (ACL). ACL is an independent non-profit organisation whose slot allocation programme is governed by British and European law and IATA Worldwide Scheduling Guidelines. ACL is funded by ten British airlines, Tourism operators and BAA, which pay the ACL a fee for providing scheduling information. The apparent conflict between the need to provide an independent slot allocation service and serving the interests of the funding airlines is waved away by ACL, who state that: ''No member airline receives direct benefit, in terms of preferential treatment in slot allocation decisions made by ACL. All airlines are treated the same, in accordance with UK and European Slot Regulations which ensure that decisions made by ACL are made in a 'neutral, transparent and non-discriminatory' way. Members believe that it is reasonable for them to contribute to the cost of slot allocation in the UK, since the cost of the coordination task in other countries is borne by their Governments or national carriers. Contributing to the cost of ACL avoids the need for Government intervention of control of slot allocation and ensures that all the airlines receive a high quality coordination service. Any airline may apply to join ACL, and the Company is pro-active in seeking to expand its membership base. {Link without Title} '' There have been calls for the slot allocation process to be made a Free Market at Heathrow and elsewhere. (See e.g. Centre for Land Policy Studies See also [http://www.tutor2u.net/Case_Study_European_Airlines.pdf for an account of the economics of the European Airline market. In addition, air traffic between Heathrow and the , and as a consequence the UK was ordered to drop the agreement by about 2004. Construction is also almost complete on the extension of pier 6 at Terminal 3. The pier has been designed specifically to allow the new Airbus A380 to terminate at that terminal, the first A380 's are due to start arriving at Heathrow by the end of 2006. Access and parking Note that Heathrow Terminal 4 station is expected to be closed until September 2006 due to the Terminal 5 construction work. Public transport links include:
Heathrow is accessible via the nearby M4 Motorway and A4 Road (terminals 1–3), 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 and long stay multi-story car parks. Additionally, there are car parks not run by BAA lying just outside the airport claiming to offer cheaper parking. Very often, these are connected to the terminals by shuttle buses. Four parallel tunnels under one of the runways connect the M4 motorway and the A4 road to Terminals 1–3. The two larger tunnels are each 2 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. Other tunnels not open to the general public connect various parts of the Airport. The Heathrow Cargo Tunnel connects Terminals 1, 2 and 3 to Terminal 4 as well as to Perimeter Road. The recently completed Heathrow Airside Road Tunnel connect Terminals 1, 2 and 3 to the site of Terminal 5 and provides access to future T5 gates that are currently in use as remote stands. Those wishing to access Heathrow Airport by bicycle are advised to obtain relevant maps from Transport For London - 'London Cycle Guide' areas 8 and 13. These maps show (mainly off-road) cycle routes almost to the terminals. Free bicycle parking places are available in car parks 1 and 1A, though use of the left-luggage services may be more secure. Busiest airport claims Heathrow is the world's Third-busiest Airport by total passenger traffic, after Atlanta-Hartsfield-Jackson and Chicago-O'Hare in the United States . However, due to the majority of the formers' traffic being domestic and latter's large number of foreign connecting flights, Heathrow has become the world's busiest international airport, and is claimed by its operator BAA to be "the hub of the aviation world". {Link without Title} In 2004 Heathrow was the busiest airport in Europe in terms of total passenger traffic (31.5% more passengers than at Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport or Frankfurt International Airport ), but was third behind Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt in terms of plane movements (9.5% fewer planes than at Charles de Gaulle, and 0.3% fewer planes than at Frankfurt). The airport was also third in terms of cargo traffic (24.8% less cargo than at Charles de Gaulle and 23.2% less than at Frankfurt). In 2005 total passenger numbers rose 0.9% to 67.7 million. {Link without Title} This low rate of growth reflects the fact that in advance of the completion of Terminal 5, growth in the London flights market is necessarily concentrated at London's other airports. Heathrow's landing patterns ''Main article: Bovingdon Stack '' Bovingdon stack is the holding area to the north-west of London where some inbound planes are held in a racetrack pattern, generally between 8,000 and 15,000 feet. Other holds serving Heathrow are at Lambourne in Essex , Biggin Hill in Bromley and Ockham in Surrey . These lie respectively to the north-east, south-east and south-west of London's built-up area. While in such a Holding Pattern , an airliner will typically range up to about six nautical miles (11 km) from the reference radio beacon, and will fly in a standardised published direction across that fixed beacon prior to commencing the next circuit at a flight level given by Air Traffic Control . Extreme skill is required to harmonise the aircraft departing from the four holds in terms of speed, and to guide their pilots through concise radio instructions, onto the Glidepath to a single runway at suitable and safe intervals, typically no less than two-and-a-half nautical miles (5 km). The parallel runway is normally assigned to departing aircraft. To reduce noise nuisance to people beneath the glideslope or departure routes, the role of each runway is normally alternated at a set time each day when the wind is from the west. Conventionally at Heathrow this runway alternation time is 1500 local time. When easterly landings are in progress there is no alternation; 09L remains the landing runway and 09R the departure runway, although, at quiet times, some landings are allowed onto 09R for those aircraft wishing to go to Terminal 4. ''See also Cranford Protocol .'' Construction of Terminal 5 On 20 November 2001 transport minister Stephen Byers announced the British Government's decision to grant planning permission for the building of a fifth passenger terminal at Heathrow. The new terminal is being constructed within the current boundary of the airport, on its western side. It is due to open in 2008 and is expected to be fully operational by 2015 . When it is completed Heathrow will be able to handle up to 90 million passengers a year, up from its current limit of 65 million. The granting of planning permission followed the longest public inquiry in British history, lasting nearly four years. BAA had made an initial application in 1993. The key factors considered by the inquiry panel were
BAA's application was vociferously supported by airlines flying out of Heathrow, in particular British Airways and Bmi . Wider interest business groups and trade unions supporting the proposal included the British Chamber of Commerce, the London Tourist Board, the Confederation of British Industry and the Transport and General Workers' Union. Supporters claim that further expansion of the airport is necessary to maintain Heathrow's current position as the pre-eminent hub in European aviation, ahead of other large airports such as Schiphol , Charles De Gaulle , and Frankfurt . Those opposing the plan cite Environmental problems such as increased Traffic Congestion , air pollution and noise. They included Friends Of The Earth and 11 London borough councils, including the London Borough Of Hillingdon in which Heathrow is situated. The transport network around Heathrow is being extended to cope with increased number of passengers. A spur motorway will run from the M25 between junctions 14 and 15 to the new terminal. New branches of both the Heathrow Express and the Underground 's Piccadilly Line will serve a new shared Heathrow Terminal 5 Station , which will also have space for a third pair of tracks for future additional services. Future of Heathrow The major airlines at Heathrow, in particular and Pollution . It would involve the loss of Sipson and much of Harmondsworth , including the Church and Tithe Barn . A sixth terminal would be likely to accompany the new runway. The total capacity would be increased to 115 million passengers per year. At this stage firm locations and timetables have not been determined. When T5 is handed over to BAA in March 2008 over £4bn will have been spent and 20,000 people will have worked on the project. Work will continue on the second of two satellite terminals or concourses, which will be linked to the main terminal by an underground tracked transit system (TTS). In 2005, T5 is the largest construction project in Europe — expenditure will peak in mid 2005 at £12m per week. None of the cost comes from the taxpayer. As well as the terminal buildings there are other developments under construction as part of the T5 project, including a multi-storey car park, a hotel, an energy centre, road tunnels, tunnelled extensions to the Piccadilly Line and Heathrow Express and a spur from the M25 . The terminal buildings have been designed by Richard Rogers Partnership and the lead project architects are Pascall + Watson, who specialise in airports and transport facilities. The four storeys of the main terminal building (Concourse A) are covered by a single-span undulating steel frame roof, stretching 90 m from east to west. Departing passengers will enter Departures level (on the 3rd floor) after taking one of the lifts or escalators from the interchange plaza. Upon entering the Departures concourse, passengers will see views across the Heathrow area and be in a space that is unobstructed to the rising roof above. After check-in and ticket presentation, the airside lounges will provide views across the tarmac and the runways beyond. There will be an abundance of retail outlets. T5 will have dedicated aircraft stands for the new Airbus A380 in the first satellite terminal (Concourse B), which opens alongside the main terminal. Re-organised terminal format When Terminal 5 opens in 2008 , Heathrow's terminal system will undergo major changes in order to simplify and streamline the transfer process for passengers. The planned format {Link without Title} from 2008 is:
BAA announced in March 2006, that Terminal 2 will be closed down when the Terminal 5 opens to allow the Heathrow East scheme to be completed. This will see Terminal 2 and the Queen's Building offices be replaced by a new terminal capable of handling 30 million people. Work is planned to start in 2009 and to be completed by 2012 , in time for the London Olympics . BAA is still waiting for planning permission for this project, but they have confirmed that Terminal 2 will close whatever the future for the Heathrow East project (see {Link without Title} ). Once Heathrow East is completed, the new terminal format is likely to be:
Heathrow in culture The airport is a regular backdrop for movies. In 2003 it was particularly visible in the Richard Curtis Romantic Comedy '' Love Actually ''. A secret camera installed at the arrivals hall at Terminal 4 captured the reunions between people coming off planes and those meeting them. Snippets of some of the more expressive greetings were played at the beginning and end of the movie. Heathrow is also the set of the BBC/Discovery show Airport . It's Animal Reception Centre is also the set of the Documentary series Animal Airport A more surprising appearance of the airport was in the . General Ripper's office at the fictitious Burpelson Air Force Base is decorated with a large aerial photo, presumably of the base; but in fact this is Heathrow Airport, in its old 6-runway configuration. The 2003 BBC Docu-Drama The Day Britain Stopped focused on how a poorly maintained transport infrastructure could cause major disaster, culminating in a major aircraft collision at Heathrow. Base Terminals of Airlines The current terminal system at Heathrow sees British Airways having operations in Terminals 1, 3 and 4, and does little to align airline partnerships within terminal buildings. This should change once T5 is opened (as detailed above). Terminal 1
Terminal 2
Terminal 3
Terminal 4 ]
Terminal 5 The £4.2 billion Terminal 5 is currently under construction. It is the largest, at the moment, aviation project in Europe and is scheduled for completion on 30 March 2008 . It will cater for 30 million passengers and will be used by British Airways , which will transfer its entire operation there. In addition to the main terminal building, Terminal 5 also consists of two satellite buildings (the second of which will be completed by 2011), 60 aircraft stands, a new air traffic control tower, a 4,000 space multi-storey car park, the creation of a new spur road from the M25, a 600-bed hotel, the diversion of two rivers and over 13km of bored tunnel, including extensions to the Heathrow Express and Piccadilly Line services. External links
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