Interesting changes at the world's biggest aviation hub....
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/80/airport_data_prov/200607/July_2006_Provisional_Airport_Statistics.pdf


London airports pax:

1) London Heathrow = 67,936,744
2) London Gatwick = 33,503,227
3) London Stansted = 23,166,399
4) London Luton = 9,353,390
5) London City = 2,198,527
London total = 136,158,287


The other four London airports have a combined passenger traffic of 68,221,543 - just ahead of Heathrow's total.

Interesting, thanks for posting. I expect Heathrow to retain its majority in the short term, after the completion of phases I and II of T5. After that, however, I don't see Heathrow hanging on to it as Luton and Stanstead continue to grow.

^^ Well, Heathrow has plans for a third runway, a large terminal to replace 1&2, and a T6, so in 20 years it will probably be over 110,000 passengers per year for Heathrow, so there is more room for expansion.

As long as all the airports are growing, the proportions don't matter that much do they?

^^ Well, Heathrow has plans for a third runway, a large terminal to replace 1&2, and a T6, so in 20 years it will probably be over 110,000 passengers per year for Heathrow, so there is more room for expansion.
You mean 110 million. I don't think it will reach that in 20 years its only at 60 odd now. Probs max out 80-90 million.

As long as all the airports are growing, the proportions don't matter that much do they?

It does for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it is a suboptimal sitution for a city whose lifeblood is global trade. Here maximum number of destinations and frequency is critical, and by having a large number of airports, there is a lot of overlap which dilutes the frequency and number of destinations from any given airport.

Secondly, this is also not good for the environment. Because now you have a flight from each of these ariports to the most common destinations, rather than getting scale and environmental advantages by getting the maximum of these passengers onto one single flight from London. To achieve this, at least two of the airportts should be linked to each other by HST.

Thirdly, it becomes harder to benefit from transfer passengers. Again, a HST line between two of the airports may help.

Yet, I believe it becomes very clear that LHR needs its third runway and sixth terminal. The conservatives are fully behind this and Labour is sending out positive signals as well but the question is whether they have the guts to push that through. Anyway, the capacity of LHR can be upgraded overnight by moving to mixed mode. I think ti is very important for the future of BA, BAA and the overall aviation industry in this country that this is done within the next 18 months. R3 and T6 should get permissions within the next 36 months but a lot depends here on the politicians.

^^ Well, Heathrow has plans for a third runway, a large terminal to replace 1&2, and a T6, so in 20 years it will probably be over 110,000 passengers per year for Heathrow, so there is more room for expansion.

20 years? LHR needs to get R3 and T6 within the next 10 years (which means planning permission within the next 3 years) in order to be able to safeguard a position as fourth or fifth largest international airport. That is already a huge drop from today's position as number one international airport. If the politicians aren't careful LHR will share the same fate as the Port of London, once a world player, now just a marginal operator. LHR should never be allowed to fall below fifth largest international airport position and for that reason a planning decision on R3 and T6 is required by the end of 2008. Also the survival of BA depends on it. (comment: in case of doubt, I have no business with BAA or BA, this is just a rational observation).

IS Heathrow still one of the largest frieght airports? Cant all the freight be moved to Marston, Luton or Stansted to allow Heathrow to have more passenger slots?

Freight comes in the hold of passenger flights as well, so not sure how many pure cargo flights Heathrow takes anyway...I would have thought with the premium on landing slots that freight would not take precedent over passengers...although I suppose it depends on the value of the freight!

LHR should never be allowed to fall below fifth largest international airport positionA pure my dick is bigger than yours reason ;) In time Heathrow, even with all the expansion dreams of some here will fall below that and rightly so. Cities in China, India and a whole gambit of other places around the globe will have a need for a larger airport than London. So what!