London Heathrow (LHR) is a major international airport located in London, United Kingdom. It is the third busiest airport in the world based on international passenger traffic. Heathrow has two runways which run east to west, and which currently operate at 99% capacity; an additional third runway is being planned. Heathrow currently has four passenger terminals and one for cargo, but within the expansion plans, a sixth terminal is included. The average total number of daily passengers is 206,800: 51% arrivals and 49% departures.
Location of Heathrow airport
Heathrow lies 14 miles west of Central London and operates on a site that covers 1214 hectares. It is a huge site that is serviced by over and underground rail links into the capital. The airport's location and accessibility from the M25 and its connecting motorway network provides excellent transport links for its visitors and increases its popularity with users.
History of Heathrow airport
Heathrow Airport was first developed in 1929 as a small private airfield operating under the name Great West Aerodrome. With the onset of World War 2, the government requisitioned the airport and renamed it RAF Heston, which was a base for the long-range troop-carrying aircraft bound for the Far East. Post-war, the airport was no longer needed and became London's new civil airport.
Heathrow airport facts
66% of Heathrow's users are leisure travellers, with the remaining 34% of passengers travelling for business.
New York is the most popular destination in terms of passenger numbers, with over 3 million per anum.
Traffic figures for Heathrow airport
Year | Passengers | Aircraft movements (Includes private & commercial) |
2016 | 75,711,130 | 474, 963 |
Flight delays
Before departing for Heathrow airport to catch your flight or to collect someone from arrivals, we recommend that you check the most up to date flight schedule to see if any delays have been announced.
For arrivals: http://www.heathrow.com/arrivals
For departures: http://www.heathrow.com/departures
If either you or one of your family or friends has suffered a flight delay on arrival to, or depature from Heathrow airport, you can check and see if you are entitled to claim compensation for the inconvenience using our Flight Delay Compensation Form. It only takes a minute to check and you're not committing to making a claim.
To qualify to receive compensation, you must be able to answer “YES” to all of the following questions:
How much compensation can I claim?
The table below lists the amounts of compensation that are available to passengers depending on the length of their flight and the duration of the delay. All amounts are set by the European Courts and detailed in legislation. The amount you receive in sterling will, of course, change depending on the exchange rate on the day of settlement.
Flight distance | Length of delay | Compensation amount |
Up to 1,500km | 3 hours or more | €250 (£210) |
1,500km-3,500km | 3 hours or more | €400 (£340) |
Over 3,500km | Between 2 EU member states & 3 hours or more | €400 (£340) |
Over 3,500km | 3 to 4 hours | €300 (£255) |
Over 3,500km | More than 4 hours | €600 (£510) |
Right to care
European law dictates that in certain circumstances, delayed airline passengers have a right to care from their airline carriers.
We strongly recommend that you locate and ask a representative of your airline if this is available as it is not always offered without request.
The care that must be provided to you will depend on the length of the delay and of your scheduled journey
What can you claim?
If you have questions about the process of claiming flight delay compensation, a good place to start would be to take a look at the following sections of this website: