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  London Heathrow International Airport

“Nummer „1“ in Europa” -
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Text:

Andreas Herzog

Pictures:

Andreas Herzog

Google Maps Position

London Heathrow (LHR) is not only the largest airport in Europe, but also the third largest airport in the world, after Atlanta and Beijing. Daily with up to 75,000 passengers Heathrow reached in 2011, the gigantic sum of 69 million passengers.
As one of the five London airports, in addition to Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and South end, but gradually Heathrow gets its capacity limits.

Basisdaten von London „Heathrow“

Eröffnung :      1930
Betreiber :      
BAA plc
Fläche:           ca. 1227 ha
Terminals:       5

Passagiere:     69’391’400 (Stand 2011)
Luftfracht:        1’484’488 t (Stand 2011)
Beschäftigte:   76’000

Start- und Landebahnen

09R/27L          3'658 m x 45 m          (Asphalt)
09L/27R          3'901 m x 50 m          (Asphalt)
 

 

(Quellen: Wikipedia, Archiv Wings-Aviation)

Airbus A319-131 British Airways, G-EUPC (Firefly Olympic 2012 special livery)(Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) 

Not only passenger figures speak for themselves, also the sheer size of this airport is impressive. Five separate terminals and two parallel runways provide daily a (mostly) smooth operation at Heathrow. LHR is the main hub for the two "home carrier" British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

The airport is located only 24 miles west of London and is easy to reach via motorway M4, M25 and the Piccadilly Line of the London Underground. Around 100 different airlines serve 380 airports in more than 120 countries! The busiest routes are New York, Dubai, Dublin, Amsterdam and Paris. 

But the capacity is soon exhausted, and an alternative suggests itself since the late 70s. Since 2008, there are concrete plans for a new "mega-airport" in the Thames estuary. Promoter of this project is the acting mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and the star architect, Norman Foster. 

The construction of this mega-airport is the UK's most daring infrastructure project: four runways, up to 150 million passengers a year and building cost of £ 50 billion would also provide the airport high-speed routes to London, the North of the country and connection of the Channel Tunnel. The planes would fly over the sea instead of the densely populated city, and there is no need to a ban on night flights.  

The "Estuary Airport project" so shall the Airport once be called, is particularly by environmental groups highly controversial. That something must be done is clear to everyone involved. The question is what? Well, the near future will tell us.

Home Carrier

   
Boeing 777-236(ER) British Airways, G-YMMU (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Airbus A319-131 British Airways, G-EUPD Golden Dove special livery (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)  Airbus A319-13 British Airways, G-EUOH (Golden Dove special livery) (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Boeing 747-436 British Airways, G-BNLS (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)
   
Boeing 747-436 British Airways, G-CIVP (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Boeing 747-436 British Airways, G-CIVU (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Boeing 747-436 British Airways, G-CIVU (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Airbus A319-131 British Airways, G-DBCG (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

   

Boeing 777-336(ER) British Airways, G-STBF (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Boeing 747-436British Airways, G-BNLV (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Boeing 777-236(ER) British Airways, G-YMMN (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Boeing 747-436 British Airways, G-CIVL (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

   

Airbus A319-131 British Airways, G-DBCD Golden Dove special livery  (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Boeing 747-436 British Airways, G-BNLF (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Boeing 777-236(ER) British Airways, G-YMML (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Airbus A319-131 British Airways, G-EUPD Golden Dove special livery  (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

European Airlines

 
Boeing 747-4Q8, Virgin Atlantic, G-VWOW (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Airbus A340-600, Virgin Atlantic, G-VYOU (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Airbus A340-600, Virgin Atlantic, G-VGAS (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Boeing 747-4Q8, Virgin Atlantic, G-VHOT (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)
  Airbus A340-600, Virgin Atlantic, G-VGOA (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Airbus A340-600, Virgin Atlantic, G-VWEB (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Airbus A321-211 IBERIA, EC-JGS, “Guadalupe” (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Airbus A301-214 IBERIA, EC-HDT (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)
 
Airbus A321-231 Lufthansa, D-AISQ (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Airbus A321-231 Lufthansa, D-AISR (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Airbus A320-211 Lufthansa, D-AISR (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Airbus A330-243 BMI British Midland, G-WWBD (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)
 
Airbus A321-231 BMI British Midland, G-MEDL (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Airbus A320-232 BMI British Midland, G-MEDH (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Embraer ERJ-145EP BMI British Midland, G-RJXC ( Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Embraer ERJ-145MP BMI British Midland, G-RJXM (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)
 

Airbus A321-231 BMI British Midland, G-MEDL (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Boeing 757-208ET Icelandair, TF-FIV (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Boeing 757-208WL Icelandair, TF-FIJ (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Boeing 737-45D LOT Polish Airlines,  SP-LLC, special golden livery  (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

 

Airbus A320-214 Aer Lingus, EI-DEM (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Airbus A320-214 Aer Lingus, EI-DVM, Retro livery of 1960’s (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Airbus A320-214 Aer Lingus, EI-DEC (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Airbus A320-214 Aer Lingus, EI-DVL (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

   

Airbus A319-112 SWISS International, HB-IPS (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Airbus A320-214 SWISS International, HB-IJP (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Airbus A321-212 Air France, F-GTAM, new livery

Airbus A321-212 Air France, F-GTAK, old livery

   

Boeing 737-9K2, KLM, PH-BXP(Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) 

Boeing 737-8K2, KLM, PH-BXB (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Airbus A320-232 AEGEAN, SX-DVX (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

Airbus A321-231 AEGEAN, SX-DGA (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)
   
Airbus A321-211 TAP Portugal, CS-TJG (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Airbus A319-111 TAP Portugal, CS-TTH (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Boeing 737-7BX SAS Scandinavian, SE-RER (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog) Boeing 737-883, SAS Scandinavian, LN-RCY, “Norges Punktligste Person” special livery (Picture courtesy Andreas Herzog)

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last update 1. January 2013

Written 23. December 2012

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