Heathrow Airport, Important Link In The Uk Air Transportation Network

Heathrow is one of the world's busiest airports handling around seventy million passengers annually. Flights from Heathrow go to nearly every location around the globe and it can be considered one of, if not the most important link in the UK's air transportation network. The following article hopes to describe the history and development of Heathrow from its early years to the modern age.

Heathrow began its life as an airfield predominantly being used for training purposes throughout the First World War. The site however was not really used for sorties making it the ideal candidate for a commercial airport once the war had ended. In the early years the airport runways were laid out in a star shape, a design that was borne out of necessity as early aircraft were heavily reliant on the wind during takeoff and landing and hence had to be aligned with the wind.

At this point a central terminal was built as the most logical place; in recent years however, as the terminals expand with shops restaurants and car hire desks, this central design has been a hindrance to development, restricting the available space.

Today the Heathrow terminals are all filled with shops, car hire desks, cafes and eateries for a number of reasons. Obviously having these services all in one place makes life far easier for passengers although his cannot be considered the primary motivation for having such services in house. Airports are able to charge retailers and car hire firms high rental rates for housing their services within terminal buildings.

Understandably the letting of retail space forms a considerable element of the Heathrow monetary income. Additionally by placing so many services within the airport Heathrow is able to employ thousands of people from the local area.

Heathrow is practically in a state of constant expansion. The most recent development has been the construction of the new Terminal 5. This new terminal has had its critics since the inaugural day of operation but as teething problems with the baggage handling systems and check in procedures are ironed out it is steadily becoming a modern and efficient terminal. As with the majority of terminals on the Heathrow site it is filled with the usual car hire desks and shops. The terminal represents a considerable investment with the eventual building costs surmounting to around 4.2 billion pounds.

This new terminal has been created with the facilities to house the behemoth that is the Airbus A380. This new aircraft is the largest commercial jet and dwarfs the current largest plane the Boeing 747. Understandably, as many airlines will look to invest in this new plane, Heathrow must be proactive about creating the facilities to refuel and load the aircraft.

Unfortunately the owners of Heathrow, BAA or the British Airports Authority who are in turn owned by the Spanish Ferrovial Group are facing charges from the British Monopoly Commission. The details of the rulings are unclear but what does seem likely is that as BAA own most of the largest UK airports they must sell some of their sites to encourage market competition.

It is hoped that this article has given an insight into the development of Heathrow airport and how it has become one of the world's most important airports. With forward thinking strategies this dominant position in the UK's air transportation network is set to continue, flying passengers to destinations all over the planet.