London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow (IATA: LHR, ICAO: EGLL) is the principal airport for London. The United Kingdom's biggest airport, Heathrow is also Europe's busiest airport for passenger traffic, and handles more international passenger traffic than any other airport in the world. Heathrow is owned and operated by BAA, which is itself owned by the Spanish Ferrovial Group, and is the primary hub of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways and a major hub for bmi.
Located 15 miles (24 km) west of Central London, England, Heathrow has two parallel main runways running east-west and four terminals. Terminal 5 is under construction and will open on 27 March 2008. A consultation process is now under way for the building of the 3rd runway through the village of Sipson with an expectation of many tens of thousands of homes to be demolished or affected. Originally proposed as a short runway for smaller aircraft the desired runway length has now been extended. Part of the consultation process is to remove the existing rota of switching runways for landing and also to allow departures from each of the runways over London (previously banned under the Cranford Agreement) when wind direction permits. The environmental and health effects are at this time unknown. There are plans to redevelop or rebuild other terminals. Beginning in 2008 and finishing by 2012, the construction of Heathrow East will replace Terminal 2 and The Queens Building.
Heathrow Airport has a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P527) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.
Location
Heathrow is located 15 miles (24 km) west of Central London, England, near the southern end of the London Borough of Hillingdon. The airport stands on a parcel of land that was designated part of the London Metropolitan Green Belt. To the north, the airport is surrounded by the built-up areas of Harlington, Harmondsworth, Longford and Cranford. To the east are Hounslow and Hatton, and to the south are East Bedfont and Stanwell. To the west, the M25 motorway separates the airport from Colnbrook in Berkshire.
The location of the airport to the west of London, and the east-west orientation of its runways, means that airliners must take off or land directly over the city. Other leading European airports such as those at Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris were located north or south of their cities to minimise the overflying problem.
Another disadvantage of the site is that it is low lying, at 83 feet (25 m) above sea level, and so is prone to fog.
Heathrow is one of two international London airports to be located within the boundary of the Greater London Area, the other being London City Airport.
History
1930s and 1940s
Aviation at the location of what is now Heathrow Airport began during World War 1 when the site was used as a military airfield. By the 1930s the airfield, now known as the Great Western Aerodrome, was privately owned by Fairey Aviation and was used for aircraft assembly and testing. Commercial traffic used Croydon Airport which was London's main airport at the time.
In 1943 Heathrow came under the control of the Ministry of Air to be developed as a Royal Air Force transfer base. Construction of runways began in 1944 on land that was originally acquired from the vicar of Harmondsworth. The new airport was named after the hamlet Heath Row which was demolished to make way for the airport, and was located approximately where Terminal 3 now stands.
The Royal Air Force never made use of the airport, and following the end of World War 2 control was transferred to the Ministry of Civil Aviation on 1 January 1946. The first civil flight that day was to Buenos Aires, via Lisbon for refuelling. The airport opened fully for civilian use on 31 May 1946 and by 1947 Heathrow had three runways, with three more under construction. These older runways, built for piston-engined planes, were short and angled to allow for all wind conditions.
1950s and 1960s
In 1953, the first slab of the first modern runway was ceremonially placed by Queen Elizabeth II. She also opened the first permanent terminal building, the Europa Building (now known as Terminal 2), in 1955. On 1 April 1955, a new 38.8 metre control tower designed by Frederick Gibberd was opened, replacing the original RAF control tower.
The Oceanic Terminal (renamed as Terminal 3 in 1968) opened on 13 November 1961 to handle flight departures for long-haul routes. At this time the airport had a direct helicopter service from central London and gardens on the roof of the terminal building. By the time Terminal 1 was opened in 1968, completing the cluster of buildings at the centre of the airport site, Heathrow was handling 14 million passengers annually.
The location of the original terminals in the centre of the site has since become a constraint to expansion. The decision to locate them here reflected 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 the late 1960s a 160 acres (0.6 sq km) cargo terminal was built to the south of the southern runway, connected to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 by a tunnel.
1970s to 1990s
In 1970 Terminal 3 was expanded with the addition of an arrivals building. Other facilities were also added, including the UK's first moving walkways. Heathrow's two main runways were also extended to their current lengths in order to accommodate the new large jets such as the Boeing 747.
In 1977, the London Underground was extended to Heathrow; connecting the airport with Central London in just under an hour via the Piccadilly Line. On 23 June 1998 the Heathrow Express train was inaugurated, providing a direct rail service to London's Paddington station via a specially constructed line between the airport and the Great Western Main Line.
Continued growth in passenger numbers to 30 million annually by the early 1980s led to the need for more terminal space. Terminal 4 was constructed to the south of the southern runway next to the existing cargo terminal, away from the three older terminals, and was connected with Terminals 1, 2 and 3 by the already-existing Heathrow Cargo Tunnel. Terminal 4 was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales in April 1986, and became the home for then newly-privatised British Airways.
In 1987, the British government privatised the British Airports Authority (now known as "BAA Limited") which controls Heathrow as well as six other UK airports.
During the 1980s and 1990s, since privatisation BAA has at Heathrow has expanded the proportion of terminal space allocated to retailing activities and invested in the development of retail activity. This has included expanding terminal areas to provide more shops and restaurants, and routing passengers through shops to maximise their exposure to the retail offer.
2000s
At the end of 2005, in light of the heightened global security requirements, Eastchurch Road which formed part of the airports southern/eastern perimeter road was permanently closed. Eastchurch Road linked the southern perimeter road to what is termed the 'Magic roundabout" next to Hatton Cross, and meant that road traffic crossed the access pathway for aircraft accessing the British Airways maintenance facility. At the time of closure, approximately 40 aircraft movement per day were made across the road, facilitated by the use of crossing gates and traffic lights.
Accidents and Incidents
On 3 March 1948 Sabena Douglas DC3 Dakota OO-AWH crashed in fog. Three crew and 19 of the 22 passengers died.
On 31 October 1950 British European Airways Vickers Viking G-AHPN crashed at Heathrow after hitting the runway during a go-around, 3 crew and 25 passengers died.
On 1 August 1956 XA897 an Avro Vulcan strategic bomber of the Royal Air Force crashed at Heathrow after an approach in bad weather. The Vulcan was the first to be delivered to the RAF and was returning from a demonstration flight to Australia and New Zealand. The pilot and co-pilot ejected and survived but the 4 other occupants were killed.
On 27 October 1965 BEA Vickers Vanguard G-APEE flying from Edinburgh crashed on runway 28R while attempting to land in poor visibility. All 30 passengers and 6 crew on board died.
On 8 April 1968 BOAC Boeing 707 G-ARWE, departing to Australia via Singapore, had an engine fire just after take-off. The engine fell from the wing into a nearby gravel pit in Staines, before 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. Barbara Harrison, a flight attendant on board who helped with the evacuation, was posthumously awarded the George Cross.
On 3 July 1968 G-AMAD an Airspeed Ambassador of BKS Air Transport dropped a wing during approach, causing the aircraft to contact the grass and swerve towards the terminal building. It hit two parked British European Airways Hawker Siddeley Trident aircraft, burst into flames and came to rest against the ground floor of the terminal building. Six of the eight crew died and eight horses onboard died.
On 18 June 1972 British European Airways Flight 548, flying from London Heathrow to Brussels, crashed shortly after take off into a field near Staines. All 109 passengers and nine crew on the Hawker Siddeley Trident-1C G-ARPI were killed in what became known as the Staines air disaster.
On 17 January 2008 a British Airways Boeing 777-236ER (G-YMMM) operating flight number BA038 from Beijing to London crash-landed at Heathrow. The aircraft landed on grass short of the south runway, 27L, continued to the edge of the runway, and stopped on the threshold. BBC News pictures showed the undercarriage collapsed and the left wing visibly damaged. Heathrow's ambulances and fire engines attended. 18 minor injuries were confirmed with 13 people being admitted to hospital and the airport was closed for a short time. The cause of the crash is yet to be determined and is being investigated by the AAIB, but a preliminary report issued by the AAIB at 17:00 GMT on 18 January 2008 stated that the engines had failed to respond to the flight crew's input 2 miles (3.2 km) from touchdown and 600 feet (180 m) over the area surrounding Heathrow.
Terrorism and security incidents
On 19 May 1974, the IRA planted a series of bombs in the Terminal 1 car park injuring 2 people.
On 26 November 1983 the Brinks Mat robbery occurred, when 6,800 gold bars worth nearly 26 million pounds 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.
On 17 April 1986 semtex explosives were found in the bag of a pregnant Irishwoman attempting to board an El Al flight. The explosives had been given to her by her Jordanian boyfriend and father of their unborn child Nizar Hindawi, and the incident became known as the Hindawi Affair.
In 1994, over a six day period, Heathrow was targeted three times (8 March, 10 March and 13 March) by the IRA, who fired twelve mortars. Heathrow was a symbolic target due to its importance to the UK economy and the 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 March 2002, thieves stole US $3 million that had arrived on a South African Airways flight.
In February 2003, the British Army was deployed to Heathrow, with 1,000 extra police officers, due to intelligence reports that al-Qaeda terrorists might launch surface-to-air missile attacks at British or American airliners.
Scotland Yard's Flying Squad foiled an attempt by seven men to steal 40 million pounds in gold bullion and a similar quantity of cash from the Swissport warehouse at Heathrow on 17 May 2004.
On 10 August 2006, the airport became the focus of changes in security protocol following the revelation of a supposedly al-Qaeda based 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot. New rules were put in force immediately with lengthy delays and inconvenience to passengers. These included the prohibition of carry-on luggage (except essential items such as travel documents and medication) and all liquids - although this was later relaxed to allow medications, as well as baby milk - provided both were tasted first by the passenger at the security checkpoint.
Heathrow today
Heathrow is used by over 90 airlines which fly to 170 destinations worldwide (see Airlines and destinations below). The airport is the primary hub of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways and a major hub for bmi.
Of Heathrow's 67 million annual passengers, 11% travel to UK destinations, 43% are short-haul international travellers, and 46% are long-haul. The busiest single destination in terms of passenger numbers is New York, with over 3.4 million passengers travelling between Heathrow and JFK / Newark airports in 2006. The airport has four passenger terminals (Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4) and a cargo terminal. The fifth passenger terminal, Terminal 5 is expected to open on 27 March 2008, with construction of all satellite buildings completed in 2011.
Originally, 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 now 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 residential areas.
Pier 6 of Heathrow's Terminal 3 has been modified to accommodate the Airbus A380 jet; in addition, Terminal Five will be fully compatible with the A380 when it opens in March 2008. The first A380 test flight into Heathrow took place on 18 May 2006, but following delays to the aircraft's production, scheduled services are not now expected to start using the airport until 2008.
A new 87 metres (285 ft) high 50 million pounds air traffic control tower entered service on 21 April 2007, and was officially opened on 13 June 2007 by Secretary of State for Transport Douglas Alexander.
Heathrow Airport has Anglican, Catholic, Free Church, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Jewish Chaplains. There is a multi-faith prayer room and counselling room in each terminal, in addition to St. George's Interdenominational Chapel which is located in an underground bunker adjacent to the old Control Tower, where Christian services take place. The chaplains organise and lead prayers at certain times in the prayer room. There is an Anglican Service every Tuesday and Wednesday, daily Catholic Mass and Free Church prayers in the Chapel.
Heathrow's facilities were designed to accommodate 45 million passengers annually. With numbers now approaching 70 million and runway utilisation averaging 98%, it is difficult for existing airlines to obtain landing slots to enable them to increase their services from the airport, or for new airlines to start operations. For the same reason the airport has become crowded and subject to delays, for which it has been criticised in recent years and in 2007 the airport was voted the world's worst in a TripAdvisor survey.
Operations
Aircraft destined for Heathrow usually enter its airspace via one of four main 'reporting points': Bovingdon (BNN) over Hertfordshire, Lambourne (LAM) over Essex, Biggin Hill (BIG) over Bromley and Ockham (OCK) over Surrey. Each is defined by a VOR radio-navigational beacon. When the airport is busy, aircraft will orbit in the associated holds. These reporting points/holds lie respectively to the north-west, north-east, south-east and south-west of the London conurbation.
Air traffic controllers at Heathrow Approach Control (now based in Swanwick, Hampshire) then guide the aircraft to their final approach, merging aircraft from the four holds into a single stream of traffic, sometimes as close as 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 km) apart. Considerable use is made of continuous descent approach techniques to minimise the environmental effects of incoming aircraft, particularly at night. Once an aircraft is established on its final approach, control is handed over to Heathrow Tower.
Because aircraft generate significantly more noise on departure than when landing, there is a preference for "westerly operations" during daytime operations. In this mode aircraft depart towards the west and approach from the east over London, thereby minimising the noise impact to the most densely populated areas. Heathrow's two runways generally operate in 'segregated mode' whereby arriving aircraft are allocated to one runway and departing aircraft to the other. To further reduce noise nuisance to people beneath the approach and departure routes, the use of runways 27R and 27L is swapped at 3 pm each day, when the wind is from the west. When easterly landings are in progress there is no alternation; 09L remains the landing runway and 09R the departure runway due to the Cranford protocol. Occasionally landings are allowed on the nominated departure runway, to help reduce airborne delays and to position landing aircraft closer to their terminal, thus reducing taxi times.
Night-time flights at Heathrow are subject to restrictions. Between 11.00 p.m. and 7.00 a.m. the noisiest aircraft (rated QC/8 and QC/16) cannot be scheduled to operate at all. In addition, between 11.30 p.m. and 6.00 a.m. (the night quota period) there are three limits:
A limit on the number of flights allowed;
A Quota Count system which limits the total amount of noise permitted, but allows operators to choose to operate fewer noisy aircraft or a greater number of quieter planes;
A voluntary ban on QC/4 aircraft.
Security
Policing of the airport is the responsibility of 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. Heathrow's reputation for thefts has led to it sometimes being referred to as 'Thiefrow'.
On 6 November 2006 new security measures came into effect for all passengers departing from UK airports: UK Department for Transport
Regulation
Further information: Landing slots
As BAA owns London's three major airports and therefore has a monopolistic position, the amount it 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 pounds, 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 pounds per passenger. Landing fee restrictions at Gatwick and Stansted will remain tighter.
In addition, air traffic between Heathrow and the United States is strictly governed by the countries' bilateral Bermuda II treaty. The treaty originally allowed only British Airways, Pan Am, and TWA to fly from Heathrow to the US. In 1991 PAA and TWA sold their rights to United Airlines and American Airlines respectively, and Virgin Atlantic Airways was added to the list of airlines allowed to operate on these routes. In 2002, American Airlines and British Airways announced plans to coordinate the scheduling of their trans-Atlantic routes but plans were dropped after the United States Department of Transportation made approval conditional on the granting of further access slots to Heathrow to other US airlines. AA and BA considered the slots too valuable and dropped the plans. The Bermuda bilateral agreement conflicts with the Right of Establishment of the United Kingdom in terms of its membership in the EU, and as a consequence the UK was ordered to drop the agreement in 2004. A new "open skies" agreement was signed by the United States and the European Union on 30 April 2007, and will come into effect on 30 March 2008.
Whilst the cost of landing at Heathrow is determined by the CAA and BAA, the allocation of landing slots to airlines is carried out by Airport Co-ordination Limited (ACL).
Busiest airport claims
The operator of Heathrow, BAA, claims that Heathrow is the "world's busiest international airport", but Heathrow is only the world's third-busiest airport by total passenger traffic, after Atlanta-Hartsfield-Jackson and Chicago-O'Hare in the United States, which are both also international airports. However, Heathrow has the highest number of international passengers.
In 2006 Heathrow was the busiest airport in Europe in terms of total passenger traffic (18.8% more passengers than at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and 27.9% more than at Frankfurt International Airport), but it was third behind Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt in terms of plane movements (11.9% fewer landings and take offs than at Charles de Gaulle, and 2.5% fewer than at Frankfurt). Heathrow airport was fourth in terms of cargo traffic (36.9% less cargo than at Charles de Gaulle, 36.8% less than at Frankfurt, and 14.2% less than at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport).
With only two runways operating at over 98% of their capacity, Heathrow has little room for growth. In order to increase traffic, BAA has proposed using the existing two runways in 'mixed mode' whereby aircraft would be allowed to take-off and land on the same runway. This would increase the airport's capacity from its current 480,000 movements per year to as many as 550,000 according to British Airways CEO Willie Walsh. BAA has also proposed to build a third runway to the north of the airport, which would significantly increase traffic capacity (see Third Runway and Terminal 6 below).
In the short term the opening of Terminal 5 in 2008 will relieve pressure on terminal facilities, allowing modest growth from the use of larger aircraft such as the Airbus A380. However with passenger traffic at Charles de Gaulle growing by 5.8% to 59.3 million during the 12 months to September 2007, compared with Heathrow's fall of 0.4% to 67.6 million during the same period, it is likely that CDG ---- with its four runways operating at only 73.5% capacity ---- will overtake Heathrow by 2010.
Access
Public transport
Ealing Broadway Interchange to Central Line
West Ealing (closed Sundays)
Hanwell (closed Sundays)
Southall
Hayes & Harlington
Piccadilly Line
Heathrow Central (Terminals 1, 2 and 3)
Free transfer between terminals on rail services
Heathrow Terminal 4
Free transfer between terminals on rail services
Heathrow Terminal 5 (Opens March 2008)
AirTrack (Proposed)
Staines High Street (Proposed)
All Heathrow stations have step-free access
Heathrow Express: a non-stop service directly to London's Paddington station; trains leave every 15 minutes for the 15-minute journey. The Heathrow Express is also used for transferring people between the central area of Heathrow (Terminals 1, 2 and 3) and Terminal 4 which has its own station; use of this section is free of charge.
Heathrow Connect service to Paddington calling at up to five National Rail stations en route; as of December 2006 trains leave every 30 minutes for the 25-minute journey. The Heathrow Connect train terminates at Heathrow Central for Terminals 1, 2 and 3, with free transfer via the Heathrow Express for Terminal 4.
London Underground Piccadilly Line with three stations (Terminals 1-3, Terminal 4 and Hatton Cross) and a further station opening in March 2008 (Terminal 5). As of 2007, the standard journey time from the Terminals 1-3 station to central London is 40-50 minutes (for example, 48 minutes to Piccadilly Circus).
For the above three services, the faster the journey, the more expensive it is.
Long-distance coach services operated by National Express to various parts of the UK, including Victoria Coach Station in London.
A door-to-door London hotel shuttle bus service is operated by dot2dot from each terminal, and HotelHoppa buses connect each terminal with hotels in the Heathrow area.
There are four RailAir coach services connecting nearby railway stations with the airport using dedicated non-stop coaches. These run to:
Reading railway station, connecting with railway services to the West Country, South Wales, Midlands and south coast of England
Feltham railway station, for destinations on the South West Trains network in south-West London, Surrey and Berkshire, including Windsor (this has now been discontinued and replaced by the 285 bus service, as advertised on South West Trains)
Woking railway station, for places in Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire
Watford Junction railway station, for Virgin Trains and London Midland services to Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, the Midlands, north-west England and Scotland
Heathrow Airport has one of the United Kingdom's biggest bus stations, with many local bus services (Transport for London) to nearby London suburbs.
Car
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-storey car parks. Additionally, there are car parks (not run by BAA) just outside the airport, these are connected to the terminals by shuttle buses. Heathrow airport is also served by taxi services.
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. Pedestrian access to the smaller tunnels has been discontinued, with the free bus services being the alternative.
Bicycle
There are (mainly off-road) bicycle 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. Free specialist maps showing cycle routes are published by Transport for London - 'London Cycling Guide 6' covers Terminals 1, 2 & 3 while 'London Cycling Guide 9' covers Terminal 4 (as of the June 2007 revision).
One coach on each Heathrow Connect train has an area reserved for wheelchairs and bicycles (wheelchairs have priority). Heathrow Express trains have space for 3 bicycles. There are rush-hour restrictions: unfolded bicycles are not allowed on trains due to arrive at Paddington between 07:45 and 09:45, or departing between 16:30 and 18:30, Monday to Friday.
If luggage and conditions permit, it is very much cheaper (about one third the price) to travel by train between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington and then cycle the remaining two miles (3 km).
Future of Heathrow
Terminal 5
The possibility of a fifth terminal at Heathrow emerged as early as 1982, when there was debate over whether the expansion of Stansted or the expansion of Heathrow (advocated by BA) was the way forward for the UK aviation industry. Richard Rogers was selected to design the terminal in 1989 and BAA formally announced its proposal for T5 in May 1992, submitting a formal planning application on 17 February 1993. A public inquiry into the proposals began on 16 May 1995 and lasted nearly four years, finally ending after 525 days on 17 March 1999. Finally on 20 November 2001, more than eight years after the initial planning application, then-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 on the western side of the airport, between the northern and southern runways. In addition to the main terminal building, Terminal 5 also has two satellite buildings linked to the main terminal by an underground people mover. The first satellite, Concourse B, will include dedicated aircraft stands for the new Airbus A380; Concourse C, will not open until 2010. In total T5 will have 60 aircraft stands, and be connected to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 by the Heathrow Airside Road Tunnel. It will cater for 30 million passengers, and 4bn pounds will have been spent and 20,000 people will have worked on the project. It will enable Heathrow to handle up to 90 million passengers a year, up from its current figure of 68 million (compared with a design capacity of 45 million). In 2005, T5 was the largest construction project in Europe - expenditure peaked at 12m pounds per week. None of the cost comes from the taxpayer.
The terminal buildings have been designed by Richard Rogers Partnership and the lead project architects are Pascall and 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 metres (295 ft) 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.
The transport network around Heathrow is being extended to cope with an increased number of passengers. A motorway spur has been built from the M25 between junctions 14 and 15 to the new terminal which includes a 4,000 space multi-storey car park. A more distant long-stay car park for business passengers will be linked to the terminal by a personal rapid transit system which will open in 2009. 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. There are plans to build a rail link, called AirTrack from Staines to Terminal 5, which would allow direct services to the airport from Reading, Guildford and London Waterloo.
When T5 opens on 27 March 2008 it will be used exclusively by British Airways which will transfer its entire operation from Terminals 1 and 4 except for flights to/from Australia, Italy, and Spain. It has been announced that the first flight to use the terminal will be a British Airways flight 26 from Hong Kong. Flight 302 to Paris will be the first flight departure from Terminal 5 at 06:20 GMT.
Redevelopment of Terminals 3 and 4
In line with the transformation of the rest of Heathrow, BAA have announced that Terminals 3 and 4 will also be redeveloped and modernised over the next few years.. Now complete is a redevelopment of Terminal 3's forecourt, resulting in the addition of a new four lane drop-off area and a large pedestrianised plaza, complete with canopy to the front of the terminal building. This recent upgrade aims to improve passenger experiences, reduce traffic congestion and improve security. BAA also have plans for a 1bn pounds upgrade of the rest of the terminal over the next ten years.
Terminal 4 will also benefit from a major upgrade to its existing facilities once Terminal 5 has opened. BAA have stated that the building is in need of extensive refurbishment, as the terminal has now been in operation since 1986. As part of the redevelopment of Terminal 4, the amount of natural light entering the building will be assessed and the check-in facilities and the departure lounge will also be upgraded.
Heathrow East Terminal
BAA announced in November 2005 that when Terminal 5 opens Terminal 2 will be closed to allow the Heathrow East scheme to be built. This will see Terminal 2 and the Queen's Building offices being replaced by a new terminal capable of handling 30 million people, five million fewer than Terminals 1 and 2 are currently used by, although considerably more than the design capacity of the existing buildings. Work is planned to start in 2008 and to be completed by 2012, in time for the London Olympics. The plan envisages the complete realignment of piers more logically, and to provide for an increase in capacity, in a site taking up roughly the same amount of space as T5. The entire project is set to cost 1-1.5bn. pounds Planning permission was granted in May 2007 on the condition that the project meets a number of 'green' targets. Rafael del Pino, head of BAA owner Ferrovial, says that Heathrow East will only be built if BAA is allowed to increase Heathrow's landing charges.
Third Runway and Terminal 6
The major airlines at Heathrow, in particular British Airways, have long advocated construction of a third runway at Heathrow. A sixth terminal would be likely to accompany the new runway, and the airport's capacity would be increased to 115 million passengers per year. On 16 December 2003 Transport Secretary Alistair Darling released a white paper on the future of air transport in the UK. A key proposal of the paper was that a third runway would be built at Heathrow by 2020, provided that targets on environmental issues such as aircraft noise, traffic congestion and pollution are met.
In December 2006 the DFT published a progress report on the strategy which confirmed the original vision, and in November 2007 the government started a public consulation on a new 2,200 metres (2,406 yd) third runway. If approved, the new runway would open around 2020.
Opposition to the expansion of Heathrow
The continued expansion of Heathrow Airport is opposed by environmental campaigners who are concerned about increases of CO2 emissions, by Londoners concerned about noise and local residents concerned about their local communities.
Locally some 700 homes, a church and eight grade II listed buildings would have to be demolished or abandoned, the high street in Harmondsworth split, a graveyard "bulldozed" and the "entire village of Sipson could disappear". John McDonnell, MP for Hayes and Harlington has suggested that up to 4,000 houses would actually have to be demolished or abandoned, however aviation minister Jim Fitzpatrick defended the plans, saying anyone evicted from their home as a result of expansion would be fully compensated and BAA have committed to preserving the Grade 1 listed church and tithe barn at Harmondsworth, and have assured protection of the value of properties blighted by a possible third runway.
The government has been criticised for working too closely with BAA in designing tests to determine whether noise and air pollution caused by the proposed runway would exceed designated limits. However the Department for Transport defended the co-operation, stating that "it wouldn't be sensible or indeed possible to do the work without the expertise of the airport operator."
The World Development Movement has claimed that the proposed additional flights from Heathrow's third runway would emit same amount of CO2 per year as the whole of Kenya. Ruth Kelly, Transport Secretary, has stated that carbon emissions will not actually rise overall in the environment since carbon trading will be used to ensure that these increases from Heathrow are offset by reductions elsewhere in the economy. However Friends of the Earth claim that "Plans to bring aviation into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will barely affect the rapid growth in aviation's carbon emissions".
A protest camp, the Camp for Climate Action, in August 2007 attracted some 2000 protesters took place close to the airport and attracted considerable media attention. Prior to the camp's start, BAA had attempted to get court approval for an injunction to limit their right to protest which became known as the "Mother of all Injunctions". BAA said the injunction was intended to protect the security of staff and passengers and that "flights and passengers were unaffected by the camp".
In response to campaigning and proposed new legislation that would restrict aviation growth, BAA and others launched Flying Matters "to represent the travel industry over climate change".
From March 2008
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 transfer of airlines between terminals will be sequential and well planned. The transfer will be completed over a period of 10 months starting from March 2008.
The majority of British Airways shorthaul flights from T1 and T4 move to T5 when it opens at the end of March 2008, along with all current T3 and T1 longhaul services - BA routes operating Boeing 757 aircraft will remain in Terminal 1 until the refurbishment of Terminal 3 is complete. Star Alliance members will then move into Terminal 1. Oneworld, Aer Lingus and Virgin Atlantic will move all flights to Terminal 3, whilst BA's longhaul flights in Terminal 4, with the exception of the 'JSA' routes to Australia, will move to T5 at the second flight-switch at the end of April 2008. BA services JSA routes will eventually move into T3 with Qantas. All BA shorthaul Boeing 757 flights will operate from Terminal 3.
SkyTeam alliance members as well as non-aligned airlines will move to Terminal 4.
Eventually, all British Airways flights will be split across Terminal 5 and Terminal 3
Finally, when Terminal 5's satellite pier 3 (T5C) is completed in 2010, all British Airways flights will operate from Terminal 5.
Frankfurt Airport (IATA: FRA, ICAO: EDDF), known in German as Flughafen Frankfurt am Main or Rhein-Main-Flughafen, is located near Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 12 kilometres southwest of the city centre. Run by Fraport, it is the largest airport in Germany, and third largest in Europe, serving as an important hub for international flights from around the world. The southern side of the airport, Rhein-Main Air Base, was a major airlift base for the United States from 1947 until late 2005, when it was acquired by Fraport.
There are plans to expand Frankfurt Airport with a fourth runway and a new Terminal 3. Modifications to the airport to make it Airbus A380 compatible have already started, including the building of a large A380 maintenance facility near the former U.S. Air Base which is not yet complete. The work on the fourth runway has been delayed several times due to environmental concerns, but received zoning approval in December 2007. The runway could be in operation by 2010.
Frankfurt is a hub of Lufthansa, the German national carrier. Because Lufthansa operates over capacity in Frankfurt, it divides traffic between Frankfurt and Munich's Franz Josef Strauss International Airport where possible.
Importance
Frankfurt currently serves more destinations (265 non-stop destinations) than London Heathrow Airport, but in terms of passenger traffic Frankfurt is third in Europe, behind Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Passenger traffic at Frankfurt Airport in 2006 was 52,810,683, compared with 67,530,197 at Heathrow Airport, and 56,849,567 at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
In terms of plane movement, Frankfurt was second in Europe with 489,406 landings and take offs, between Charles de Gaulle Airport (541,566) and Heathrow Airport (477,030).
In terms of cargo traffic, Frankfurt was second in Europe with 2,127,646 metric tonnes (2,345,328 US tons), just behind Charles de Gaulle Airport (2,130,724 metric tonnes), and above Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (1,566,828 metric tonnes) and Heathrow Airport (1,343,930 metric tonnes).
History
The Rhein-Main Airport and Airship Base opened in 1936 and was the second-largest airport in Germany (after Tempelhof Airport in Berlin) through World War II. After the war, it served as the main West German operations base for the Berlin Airlift.
The airport did not emerge as a major international hub until 1972, when its new passenger terminal (now Terminal 1) opened.
In September 2007, German authorities arrested three suspected Islamic terrorists for plotting a "massive" terror attack, which posed "an imminent threat" to Frankfurt Airport and the US Air Force base in Ramstein.
Structure and function
Frankfurt Airport has two main passenger terminals, which are connected by corridors as well as by people movers and buses.
First Class Terminal
Lufthansa maintains a separate First Class Terminal at Frankfurt Airport for the use of first class passengers and members of the highest tier of its Miles & More rewards program (but not other Star Alliance programs). The terminal has 200 staff for around 300 passengers per day, and provides individualized security screening and customs facilities, valet parking, a white-linen restaurant, a cigar room and bubble baths. Passengers are driven from the terminal directly to their aircraft by a chaffeured Mercedes. The commercial success of the FCT at Frankfurt has led Lufthansa to plan the opening of a similar facility at Munich International Airport.
Other Features & Amenities
Frankfurt has two cargo terminals, North and South, as well as a separate General Aviation Terminal on the south side of the airport. There is also a Sheraton hotel adjacent to Terminal 1. Terminal 1 also has a full-service German Post Office & DHL office open to the public.
Ground transportation
To the land side, Frankfurt Airport is well connected with two railway stations and a location at one of the most important points in the German Autobahn network, the intersection of the A3 and the A5 at the Frankfurt Interchange.
Rail
The Frankfurt (Main) Regional Station was opened in 1972 together with Terminal 1. It is located under the street in front of the terminal, two levels below the arrivals level. During most of the day, S-Bahn-trains depart every 15 minutes: to the east, to Frankfurt central station (journey time 11 minutes), the four stations in the central Citytunnel, and to points further to the east of Frankfurt such as Offenbach and Hanau; and to the west to Russelsheim, Mainz and Wiesbaden. The first S-Bahn trains arrive at 4:28h from Frankfurt and Hanau, and at 4:29h from Mainz and Wiesbaden; the last ones depart at 1:32h to Frankfurt, at 0:29h to Wiesbaden and at 0:59h to Russelsheim. A ticket to Frankfurt costs euro 3.55, and must be purchased before going down to the platform, either at a vending machine or the Deutsche Bahn ticket counter.
Regional express trains to other destinations like Saarbrucken in the west, Koblenz down the Rhine valley to the north, or Wurzburg in the east also call at the regional station, as do some long distance trains, especially at night when the long distance station (see below) is closed.
The Frankfurt (Main) Long Distance Station was opened in 1999. It is the end point of the new-build Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line, which links southern Germany to the Ruhrgebiet via Cologne at speeds up to 300 km/h (190 mph). All ICE trains between Cologne and southern Germany stop at the Airport train station, taking slightly less than an hour from Cologne to the Airport. About 10 trains per hour depart in all directions.
The station is squeezed in between the A3 and the four-lane Bundesstrasse B43, linked to Terminal 1 by a building that bridges the Autobahn. Arriving railway passengers can check in right at the train station for about 60 airlines.
The tracks are numbered from 1 to 3 in the regional station and from 4 to 7 in the long distance station.
Deutsche Bahn operates the AiRail Service in conjunction with Lufthansa, American Airlines and Emirates. The service operates to Bonn Hbf, Cologne Hbf, Dusseldorf Hbf, Freiburg Hbf, Kassel-Wilhelmshohe, Karlsruhe Hbf, Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, Hanover Hbf, Mannheim Hbf, Munich Hbf, Nuremberg Hbf, and Stuttgart Hbf.
Road
Various transport companies provide bus services to the airport.
Taxis to the city centre (Hauptwache) cost approximately euro 25 or slightly more, to the main train station about three Euros less.
There are multi-level parking garages along the terminals, mostly underground, for passengers coming with their own car. A long term parking lot is located south of the runways, on the site of the former US military installation, with a shuttle bus to the terminals.
Ground Transportation Statistics
In 2006, 29.5% of the 12,299,192 passengers whose air travel originated in Frankfurt came by private car, 27.9% came by rail, 20.4% by taxi, 11.1% parked their car at the airport for the duration of their trip, 5.3% came by bus, and 4.6% arrived with a rental car.
Incidents
In 1969, Ariana Flight 701, a Boeing 727 of Ariana Afghan Airlines was arriving at London Gatwick Airport from Frankfurt when it crashed into a house, killing 50 of the 66 people aboard. Two people died on the ground.
On 22 May 1983 during an airshow at the Rhein-Main Air Base, a Canadian RCAF F-104 Starfighter crashed onto a nearby road, hitting a car and killing all passengers, a vicar's family of 5. The pilot was able to eject.
In 1988 the first leg of Pan Am Flight 103 (a Boeing 727) took off from Frankfurt. About half of the passengers and baggage changed planes at Heathrow Airport to continue to the U.S. A bomb exploded on the aircraft (Boeing 747) above the Scottish town of Lockerbie, killing all the passengers on board. The bomb was planted by Libyan terrorists.
Charles de Gaulle International Airport (IATA: CDG, ICAO: LFPG) (French: Aeroport Roissy-Charles de Gaulle), also known as Roissy Airport (or just Roissy in French), in Paris, is one of world's principal aviation centres, as well as France's main international airport. It is named after Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970), leader of the Free French Forces and founder of the French Fifth Republic. It is located within portions of several communes, including Roissy, 25 km to the north-east of Paris.
In 2006, Charles de Gaulle Airport was number one in terms of plane movements in Europe with 541,566 landings and take offs , above Frankfurt International Airport (489,406) and Heathrow (477,029). In terms of cargo traffic, Charles de Gaulle Airport was also number one in Europe with 2,130,724 tonnes (2,348,721 US tons), just above Frankfurt (2,127,646 tonnes), and above Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (1,566,828 tonnes) and Heathrow (1,343,930 tonnes). In terms of passenger traffic Charles de Gaulle Airport ranked second in Europe with 56,849,567 passengers , behind London Heathrow Airport (67,530,197), and above Frankfurt International Airport (52,810,683).
CDG is connected to the RER urban rail network, providing services into central Paris three to four times per hour, and the high-speed rail TGV network. SNCF French Rail operates direct TGV services to several French stations from CDG, including Angers, Avignon, Bordeaux, Dijon, Grenoble, Le Mans, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, Nimes, Poitiers, Rennes, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Tours, and Valence.
The three other international airports serving Paris are Orly Airport, the most important after CDG, Paris-Beauvais-Tille Airport, which mainly serves low-cost airlines, and Paris - Le Bourget Airport for General aviation (business jets).
Geography
Charles de Gaulle Airport extends over 32.38 sq km (12.5 sq miles) of land. The choice of this vast area was made based on the limited number of potential relocations and expropriations and the possibility to further expand the airport in the future. It straddles three departements and seven communes:
Seine-et-Marne departement: communes of Le Mesnil-Amelot (terminals 2E, 2F), Mauregard (terminals 1, 3), Mitry-Mory, and Compans
Seine-Saint-Denis departement: commune of Tremblay-en-France (terminals 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D)
Val-d'Oise departement: communes of Roissy-en-France and Epiais-les-Louvres
Management of the airport is solely under the authority of Aeroports de Paris, which also manages Orly International Airport, Le Bourget Airport, and several smaller airports in the suburbs of Paris.
History
The planning and construction phase of what was known back then as Aeroport de Paris Nord (Paris North Airport) began in 1966. On March 8, 1974, the airport, renamed Charles de Gaulle International Airport, began service. Terminal 1 was built to an avant-garde design consisting of a ten-floor high circular building surrounded by seven satellite buildings each with four gates. The main architect was Paul Andreu, who was also in charge of the extensions during the following decades.
The grassy lands on which the airport is located are notorious for hosting a large population of rabbits and hares, which can clearly be seen by aeroplane passengers at certain times of the day. The airport organizes periodic hunts and captures to keep the population to manageable levels.
Corporate identity
The Frutiger typeface was commissioned for use in the airport, and implemented on signs throughout the building in 1975. Initially called Roissy, it was renamed for its designer Adrian Frutiger.
Until 2005, every P.A. announcement made at Terminal 1 was preceded by a distinctive chime, nicknamed "Indicatif Roissy" and composed by Bernard Parmegiani in 1971. (Audio sample)
Mehran Karimi Nasseri
On 26 August 1988, Mehran Karimi Nasseri found himself held at Charles de Gaulle airport by immigration. He claimed he was a refugee, but had had his refugee papers stolen. After years of bureaucratic wrangling, it was concluded that Nasseri had entered the airport legally and could not be expelled from its walls; but since he had no papers, there was no country to deport him to either, leaving him in residential limbo. Nasseri continued to live within the confines of the airport until August 2006, even though French authorities have since made it possible for him to leave if he so wished. He was the inspiration for the 2004 film The Terminal. He was hospitalised in August 2006 and his current location is unknown.
Collapse of Terminal 2E
Terminal 2E, with a daring design and wide open spaces, was CDG's newest addition. On 23 May 2004, not long after its inauguration, a portion of Terminal 2E's ceiling collapsed early in the day, near Gate E50, killing four people. The Chinese government reported that two of the dead were Chinese travellers, and another of the dead was reported to be of Czech nationality. Three other people were injured in the collapse. Terminal 2E had been inaugurated in 2003 after some delays in construction and was designed by Paul Andreu. Administrative and judicial enquiries were started. Andreu also designed Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport, which collapsed while under construction on September 28, 2004.
Before this accident, ADP had been planning for a public stock offering in 2005 with the new terminal as a major attraction for investors. The partial collapse and indefinite closing of the terminal just before the beginning of summer could seriously hurt the airport's business plan.
In February 2005, the results from the administrative inquiry were published. The experts pointed out that there was no single fault, but rather a number of causes for the collapse, in a design that had little margin for safety. The enquiry found the concrete vaulted roof was not resilient enough and had been pierced by metallic pillars, and some openings weakened the structure. Sources close to the enquiry also disclosed that the whole building chain had worked as close to the limits as possible, so as to reduce costs. Paul Andreu denounced the building companies for having not correctly prepared the reinforced concrete.
On March 17, 2005, ADP decided to tear down and rebuild the whole part of Terminal 2E (the "jetty") of which a section had collapsed, at a cost of approximately euro 100 million . The reconstruction will replace the innovative concrete tube style of the jetty with a more traditional steel and glass structure. Construction will be completed by summer 2008, in the meantime two temporary departure lounges have been constructed in the vicinity of the terminal that replicate the capacity of 2E before the collapse.
Incidents
On 19 September 1989, UTA Flight 772 exploded over the Sahara Desert while on the second leg of the Brazzaville-Ndjamena-Paris route, killing all on board.
On 17 July 1996, TWA Flight 800, which was bound for Charles de Gaulle International Airport from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, exploded near Long Island.
On 25 July 2000, Air France Flight 4590, a Concorde bound from Charles de Gaulle Airport for JFK crashed into the nearby hotel of Hotelissimo in Gonesse after coming in contact with material that had been left by another plane on the runway. The Concorde was on a German charter flight for a tour company. Everyone on board died, as did four people on the ground.
On 22 December 2001, an Al-Qaida terrorist named Richard Reid tried to ignite explosives hidden in his shoes onboard American Airlines Flight 63, which was headed from Charles de Gaulle to Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida. He was subdued after a passenger smelled sulphur.
Terminals
Terminal 2 is actually not really a terminal, but rather a name applied to six connected but distinct "halls", each given a letter from A to F. In other airports, such as JFK or LAX, these "halls" would simply be called terminals, so that Charles de Gaulle International Airport can be more properly described as having eight terminals altogether. When landing at or taking off from Charles de Gaulle International Airport, one should always know precisely which of the eight terminals/halls the plane arrives at or departs from, as these can be located quite far apart from each other. The eight terminals/halls are indicated distinctly on plane tickets: 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 3.
The six halls at Terminal 2, the newest part of the airport, have their own RER and TGV station underneath. Passengers may reach trains going to Paris or to other French and foreign cities by going through passages and moving walkways.
In 2006, the French government expressed the wish to designate certain terminals of French airports as "high-security" terminals that would handle flights to sensitive locations, such as the US and Israel. Terminal 2E is planned to be the high security terminal at CDG with the installation of more rigorous security controls planned during the course of 2007. At the start of the Winter timetable in 2006, Air France moved most of its flights to the US to 2E.
Expansion plans
Apart from the reconstruction of Terminal 2E, two major terminal extensions are underway as of 2007.
The construction of Satellite 3 (or S3) to the immediate east of Terminals 2E and 2F will provide further jetways for large capacity airliners, and specifically the Airbus A380. Check-in and baggage handling will be provided by the existing infrastructure in Terminals 2E and 2F. Satellite 3, whose construction can be seen by arriving passengers at Terminals 2E and 2F, is scheduled to open in the first half of 2008. A further Satellite 4 is planned to open in 2012 to provide additional capacity, again relying on the check-in and baggage handling infrastructure of 2E and 2F.
Construction began on a new terminal building, Terminal 2G, to the east of the S3 construction site in September 2006 with the first stone of the new building itself laid in March 2007. It will be connected to the Terminal 2 complex by shuttle buses and eventually an extension of the CDGVAL shuttle train service due to open in Spring 2007. 2G will be a Schengen terminal (and thus have no customs control) and will handle Air France regional and European traffic and provide small capacity planes (up to 150 passengers) with a faster turn-around time than is currently possible by enabling them to park close to the new terminal building and boarding passengers primarily by bus. Opening is planned for the Winter season of 2008.
A giant new Boarding Complex, known as S3, opened on June 27, 2007. This facility, built in collaboration with Air France-KLM, will open in phases and will be fully operational by the end of the year. The center should provide relief to millions of passengers who must now endure annoying and lengthy bus rides to board and disembark from flights. It should also mean faster transfer times to connecting flights and fewer lost bags.
Future use of Terminal 2 by Air France will change during the development and opening of the S3 complex and the new 2G section of Terminal 2. In Winter 2007, the S3 complex will be fully operational and around April 2008 the reconstruction of 2E will be completed allowing maximum passenger activity and full airport services. Air France will begin to shift traffic to use Terminal 2C,2D,2E,2F and eventually cease operations from terminals 2A and 2B which will continue to be used by other carriers.
Ground transportation
CDG airport is connected to Paris by the RER B suburban train, offering both non-stop services (going directly from the airport to Paris Gare du Nord and beyond) and services stopping at intermediate stations. The faster trains take about 30 minutes to the Gare du Nord, the stopping trains about 35. There are two RER B stations inside the airport:
one, called Paris Aeroport Charles de Gaulle 1, is located inside Roissypole (an area with hotels and company offices), besides Terminal 3, and is the preferred way to access terminals 1 and 3;
the other, called Paris Aeroport Charles de Gaulle 2, is located beside the TGV station under Terminal 2.
Terminal 2 includes a TGV station with high-speed trains connecting to various destinations in France and via Lille Europe to Brussels. The direct Thalys service between the airport and Brussels Midi was withdrawn in 2007.
Terminals 1, 2, the Roissypole / Terminal 3 RER station, and parking lots PX and PR are connected by the free CDGVAL automatic shuttle. CDGVAL replaces free shuttle buses.
Roissybus, operated by RATP, departs from terminals 1 and 2 and goes non-stop to Paris, behind the Opera Garnier.
There is a bus and coach station in Roissypole, next to the RER B station. Buses departing from this station include RATP lines 350 and 351 going to Paris, and the bus going to the Parc Asterix.
RER B both serves CDG airport (with a travelling clientele) as well as northern suburbs of Paris. The line, operated by SNCF, suffers from slowness and saturation. For these reasons, French authorities have started two projects: one, CDG Express (opening between 2012 and 2015), will link CDG to Paris Gare de l'Est with trains specifically designed for air travellers; the other, RER B Nord Plus, will modernize and streamline the northern branches of RER B.
Other facts of interest
Appearances in films
In the video of the U2 song Beautiful Day the band can be seen walking through the airport. The cover photo for their album All That You Can't Leave Behind was also taken there.
Tarmac was used in the Walt Disney attraction film, Le Visionarium and featured a Concorde of Air France and DC-10 of Union des Transports Aeriens.
Many scenes were filmed at the airport for the film, The Concorde: Airport '79
Terminal 1 is used as the backdrop for the The Alan Parsons Project I Robot (album).
The escalator tubes of Terminal 1 are featured in the film Private Benjamin.
The check-in area of Terminal 2F is a favourite film location for French directors and can frequently be seen in French films that require an airport location.
Decalage Horaire.
Photography restrictions
On November 7, 2005, prefectoral decision 05-4979 was issued, relating specifically to Charles de Gaulle airport. The law prohibits photographs being taken for private use of anything moving (e.g. aircraft) or not moving (e.g. buildings) within the "zone reservee" (the restricted area) from the "zone publique" (the public area).
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (IATA: AMS, ICAO: EHAM) is the Netherlands' main airport, located 20 minutes (17.5 km or 10.8 miles) southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer. The airport's official English name, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, places the words in the Dutch sequence (Luchthaven Schiphol) instead of Amsterdam Schiphol Airport or Schiphol Airport Amsterdam. The airport also had the IATA code of SPL but this has fallen into disuse.
Schiphol is a European mainport, competing in passenger and cargo throughput with London Heathrow Airport in England, Frankfurt International Airport in Germany and Charles de Gaulle International Airport serving Paris, France. In 2006, Schiphol handled 46,065,719 passengers, ranking fourth in Europe behind London, Paris and Frankfurt. Almost 35% of its passengers traveled on intercontinental flights. In the same year, Schiphol handled 1,566,828 tons of cargo, ranked third in Europe behind Paris and Frankfurt.
Schiphol has five main runways, plus one used mainly by general aviation aircraft. The "fifth runway" (really the sixth) was completed in 2003. Plans have already been made for a seventh runway.
The airport is built as one large terminal split into three large departure halls, the most recent having been completed in 1994, which converge again once airside. There are plans for further terminal expansion.
Because of the intense traffic and high landing fees, some low cost carriers decided to move their flights to smaller airports, such as Rotterdam and Eindhoven. However, especially with the low-cost H-pier becoming operational, many low cost carriers (like easyJet, SkyEurope, and bmibaby) continue to operate from Schiphol. Parking fees at Schiphol Airport start at euro 5 a day.
Schiphol is the home base of KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines), Martinair and Transavia, and a hub for United States based Northwest Airlines in cooperation with KLM.
Schiphol has won more than 120 prizes over the years. In 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1990 and 2003, it was voted the best airport in the world. It was honoured with the title of "Best European Airport" during 15 consecutive years (1988-2003) and has won a lot more prizes, including "Best Business Travel Airport". This is not only because of its usually perfectly organized operations, but also because of its high number of international and intercontinental flights. In 2005 direct flights were operated to more than 260 destinations in 91 countries. It is currently given a rating of four stars by Skytrax's airport grading exercise along with five other airports.
Schiphol has large shopping areas as a source of revenue and as an additional attractant to air-carrier passengers. Schiphol Plaza is the shopping centre before customs, hence not only for air travellers, but also for non travelling visitors. There is a regular-size supermarket, Food Village, that is open until midnight seven days a week. The Rijksmuseum also operates a small dependance at the airport, offering a small overview of both classical and contemporary art.
Schiphol is the world's lowest major commercial airport. The Schiphol Air traffic control tower, with a height of 101 m, was the tallest in the world when constructed in 1991. Its base is 3 m below sea level.
Schiphol also has its own mortuary, where deceased people can be handled and kept before departure or after arrival. Since October 2006 people can also get married at Schiphol and go on honeymoon directly.
Railway
Main article: Schiphol railway station
The Nederlandse Spoorwegen, the largest Dutch train operator, has a major passenger train station directly underneath the passenger terminal complex.
History
Schiphol started early last century (Sep 16, 1916) as a military airbase, consisting only of a few barracks and a mudpool serving as platform/runways. When civil aircraft started to make use of the field (Dec 17, 1920), it was often called Schiphol-les-bains. The Fokker aircraft manufacturer started a factory near Schiphol airport in 1951.
Schiphol's name is derived from a former fortification named Fort Schiphol which was part of the Stelling van Amsterdam defence works. Before 1852, the Haarlemmermeer polder in which the airport lies was a large lake, in the shallow waters of which sudden violent storms could claim many ships. This indeed was the main reason for reclaiming it.
Accidents
November 14, 1946 - A Douglas C-47 operated by KLM coming from London approached Schiphol during bad weather conditions. The first two attempts to land failed. During the third the pilot realized that the airplane wasn't lined up properly with the runway. A sharp left turn was made at low speed, causing the left wing to hit the ground. The airplane crashed and caught fire, killing all 26 people on board, including the plane's crew of five.
October 4, 1992 - El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747 cargo airplane heading to Tel Aviv, suffered from physical engine separation of both right-wing engines (#3 and #4) just after taking off from Schiphol and crashed into an apartment building in the Bijlmer neighbourhood of Amsterdam while attempting to return to the airport. A total of 47 people were killed, including the plane's crew of three and a "nonrevenue passenger". Many more were injured.
April 4, 1994 - Flight KL433 to Cardiff, a Saab 340 operated by KLM Cityhopper, returned to Schiphol after setting the number two engine to flight idle because the crew mistakenly believed that the engine suffered from low oil pressure, this because of a faulty warning light. On final approach at a height of 90 feet, the captain decided to go-around and gave full throttle, however only on the number one engine leaving the other in flight idle. Because of this, the airplane rolled to the right, pitched up, stalled and hit the ground at 80 degrees bank. Of the twenty-four people on board, three were killed including the captain. Nine others were seriously injured.
October 27, 2005 - A fire broke out at the airport's detention center, killing 11 people and injuring 15. The complex was holding 350 people at the time of the incident. Results from the investigation almost one year later showed that fire safety precautions were not (or never) in force. There was a national outrage resulting in the resignation of Justice Minister Donner (CDA) and Mayor Hartog of Haarlemmermeer. Spatial Planning Minister Dekker (VVD) resigned as well, because she bears responsibility for the construction, safety and maintenance of state-owned buildings.
Terminals and destinations
Schiphol is deploying a one terminal concept, where all facilities are located under one single roof. The areas though, are divided into three sections or halls: 1, 2 and 3. To all of these halls, piers or concourses are connected. However, it is possible, on both sides of security or customs, to walk from one pier to another, even if they are connected to different halls. The exception to this is the low-cost pier M: once you are airside (i.e. you passed security), you cannot go to any of the other halls or piers. When changing between Schengen and non-Schengen areas, there is immigration control.
Piers B and C are dedicated Schengen areas. Pier E, F and G are dedicated non-Schengen areas. Piers D and H/M are mixed piers, using the same gate positions for Schengen and non-Schengen flights.
Pier D has two floor levels. The lower floor is used for non-Schengen flights, the upper floor is used for Schengen flights. By using stairs, the same jetways are used to access the aircraft. Schengen gates are numbered D-59 and up, non-Schengen gates are numbered from D-1 to D-59.
Piers H and M, the low-cost pier, share the same construction. Here, the H-gates are non-Schengen gates, the M-gates are Schengen gates. Both areas are on the same level.
NOTE: The airlines and destinations listed are not definite; very few airlines have a daily pier; this is based on regularity.
Hong Kong International Airport (IATA: HKG, ICAO: VHHH) is the main airport in Hong Kong. It is colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport, due to the fact that it was built on the island of Chek Lap Kok by land reclamation.
The airport opened for commercial operations in 1998, replacing Kai Tak Airport, and is an important regional trans-shipment centre, passenger hub and gateway for destinations in China, East Asia and Southeast Asia. Despite a relatively short history, Hong Kong International Airport has won several notable international "Best Airport" awards. In 2001-2005 and 2007, it came first in Skytrax's World Airport Awards.
HKIA operates twenty-four hours a day, and is one of the world's busiest airports in terms of international passenger and cargo movement. In 2007, HKIA handled 47 million passengers and 3.7 million tonnes of cargo. It is the primary hub for Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, Hong Kong Express Airways, Hong Kong Airlines, Oasis Hong Kong Airlines and Air Hong Kong.
History
See also: Aviation history of Hong Kong
The airport was built on a largely artificial island reclaimed from Chek Lap Kok and Lam Chau. The two former islands that were levelled comprise about 25% of the surface area of the airport's 12.48 sq km platform. It is connected to the northern side of Lantau Island near the historic village of Tung Chung, now expanded into a new town. Land reclamation for the airport added nearly 1% to the entirety of Hong Kong's surface area. It replaced the former Hong Kong International Airport (popularly known by its former name Kai Tak Airport), which was located in the Kowloon City area with a single runway extending into Kowloon Bay close to the urban built-up areas.
Construction of the new airport was only part of the Airport Core Programme, which also involved construction of new road and rail links to the airport, with associated bridges and tunnels, and major land reclamation projects on both Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon. The project is the most expensive airport project, according to Guinness World Records. Construction of the new airport was voted as one of the Top 10 Construction Achievements of the 20th Century at the ConExpo conference in 1999.
Opened on 6 July 1998, a week later than Kuala Lumpur International Airport, it took six years and US $20 billion to build. On that day at 6:25 a.m., Cathay Pacific's CX889 was the first flight to land at the airport, pipping the original CX292 from Rome which was the scheduled first arrival. The architects were Foster and Partners. For three to five months after its opening, it suffered various severe organisational, mechanical, and technical problems that almost crippled the airport. At one time, the government reopened the cargo terminal at Kai Tak Airport to handle freight traffic due to a breakdown at the new cargo terminal, named Super Terminal One (ST1), however after six months the airport started to operate normally.
On 28 February 2007, a second terminal (check-in facility only) of the airport opened, with a new Airport Express platform opened serving the new terminal. The terminal also features a new shopping mall SkyPlaza, providing a large variety of shops and restaurants, together with a few entertainment facilities.
SkyCity is currently being built directly across from the airport. It currently includes the AsiaWorld-Expo and the SkyPier. Planned for development is a golf course, Marriott hotel, and business centre.
The airport is operated by the Airport Authority Hong Kong, a statutory body wholly owned by the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Civil Aviation Department (CAD) is responsible for the provision of air traffic control services, certification of Hong Kong registered aircraft, monitoring of airlines on their compliance with bilateral Air Services Agreements, and the regulation of general civil aviation activities.
The airport has two parallel runways, both of which are 3800 metres in length and 60 metres wide, enabling them to cater to the next generation of aircraft. The south runway has been given a Category II Precision Approach, while the north runway has the higher Category IIIA rating, which allows pilots to land in only 200 metre visibility. The two runways have an ultimate capacity of over 60 aircraft movements an hour. At present there are 49 frontal stands, 28 remote stands and 25 cargo stands. Five parking bays at the Northwest Concourse are already capable of accommodating the arrivals of the next generation of aircraft.
The airport was the third busiest airport for passenger traffic in Asia in 2005, and the world's second busiest airport for cargo traffic in 2005. In terms of international traffic, the airport is the third busiest for passenger traffic and the busiest for cargo since its operation in 1998. There are 87 international airlines providing about 760 scheduled passenger and all-cargo flights each day between Hong Kong and some 154 destinations worldwide. About 76 percent of these flights are operated with wide-bodied jets. There are also an average of approximately 31 non-scheduled passenger and cargo flights each week.
The operation of scheduled air services to and from Hong Kong is facilitated by air services agreements between Hong Kong and other countries. Since the opening of HKIA, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has implemented a policy of progressive liberalisation of air services with the intention of promoting consumer choice and competition.
The airport expansion opportunities are subject to variables. A proposal to build a third runway has been under feasibility study and consultation but would be very expensive as it would involve additional reclamation from deep waters. There exists only one airway between Hong Kong and China, and this single route is often and easily backed up causing delays in both Hong Kong and China. Finally, China requires that aircraft flying the single air route between Hong Kong and China be at an altitude of least 15,000 feet. Talks are underway to persuade the Chinese military to relax its airspace restriction in view of worsening air traffic congestion at the airport.
Airlines based at HKIA
Several airlines are based at Hong Kong International Airport:
Cathay Pacific Airways Limited operates a mixed Airbus and Boeing all-widebody fleet of one hundred aircraft, providing scheduled services to the rest of Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, Europe, South Africa and North America.
Dragonair operates some 35 aircraft, providing scheduled passenger services in the region, and scheduled all-cargo services to Shanghai, Xiamen, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Middle East and Europe.
Hong Kong Express operates fixed-wing aircraft on scheduled services to Hangzhou, Ningbo, Nanjing, Chongqing and Chiang Mai as well as charter services to Tai Chung in Taiwan and Laoag in the Philippines. Hong Kong Express's HeliExpress division operates scheduled helicopter services between Hong Kong, Macau, and Shenzhen, together with local passenger charters and aerial works. To be acquired by Hong Kong Airlines by end 2006.
Air Hong Kong Limited operates scheduled all-cargo services between Hong Kong and Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Singapore.
Hong Kong Airlines, formerly CR Airways Limited until 30 September 2006, operates scheduled passenger services to Korea, Thailand, and China.
Oasis Hong Kong Airlines operates scheduled passenger services to London-Gatwick and Vancouver International Airport.
Metrojet Limited and Jet Aviation Business Jets (Hong Kong) Limited operate non-scheduled passenger services in the region.
Heliservices (Hong Kong) Limited operates local and cross-border helicopter charters and lifting and construction works.
Recreational flying in Hong Kong is catered for by the Hong Kong Aviation Club, which undertakes flying training for private pilots and provides facilities for private owners.
The Government Flying Service provides short and long range search and rescue services, police support, medical evacuation and general purpose flights for the Government.
Passenger facilities
The airport is one of the most accessible in operation today. Despite its size, the passenger terminal is designed for maximum convenience. A simple layout and effective signage, moving walkways and the automated people mover (Destinations: West Hall <-> Southwest <-> Northwest at 62 km/h every 1.5 minutes carrying 304 passengers every APM from opening and closing time of 0600 to 2400) allow quick and easy movement throughout the building. The airport also features a driverless people mover system consisting of 3 stations to provide fast transportation from check-in area to gates (and vice versa). These trains travel at 62km/h and the service is provided for free to all passengers and crew. (HKIA Automated People Mover)
According to its website, the passenger terminal 1 of the HKIA is the world's largest airport terminal building, with a total gross floor area of 570,000 sq m (it was 550,000 sq m before the expansion of the East Hall). The growth in space alone helped expand the shopping mall, SkyMart, which is 39,000 sq m itself at the East Hall area. The 570,000 sq m figure does not include the new 140,000 sq m Passenger Terminal 2 and the SkyPlaza.
"Terminal 2" of the Hong Kong International Airport, together with the Skyplaza, opened on February 28, 2007 along with the opening of the Airport Station's Platform 3. It is only a check-in and processing facility for departing passengers with no gates or arrival facilities. (Passengers are transported underground to gates at "Terminal 1".) So far Bangkok Airways, East Star Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Hong Kong Express, Hong Kong Airlines, Jetstar Asia Airways, Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Siem Reap Airways, South African Airways, Thai Airways International and Uni Air have relocated their check in operations to T2. The SkyPlaza is situated within Terminal 2.
The Hong Kong Business Aviation Centre (BAC) is located within the confines of the airport and has its own terminal and facilities separate from the public terminal. It provides a full range of services for executive aircraft and passengers, including passenger lounge, private rooms and showers, business centre facilities, ground handling, baggage handling, fuelling, security, customs and flight planning. Designated spaces and hangarage are also provided at the BAC for private aircraft.
Intermodal transportation hub
In order to sustain the growth of passengers, the Airport Authority formulated a "push and pull through" strategy to expand its connections to new sources of passengers and cargo. This means adapting the network to the rapidly-growing markets in China and in particular to the Pearl River Delta region (PRD). In 2003, two major events improved connections to the PRD. One was the opening of a new Airport-Mainland Coach Station. The coach station features a 230 sq m waiting lounge and sheltered bays for ten coaches. The dedicated coach terminal provides a comfortable environment for passengers travelling between HKIA and different cities in PRD. Some 100 buses are operating per day to transport passengers between HKIA and some 18 destinations in PRD.
The Coach Station was relocated to Terminal 2 in 2007. The 36 bays at the new Coach Station allow cross-border coaches to make 240 trips a day carrying passengers between the airport and 70 cities and towns in the PRD. Local tour and hotel coaches also operate from there.
HKIA's network to China is also expanded by the opening of SkyPier in late September 2003, offering millions in the PRD direct access to the airport. Passengers coming to SkyPier by high-speed ferries can board buses for onward flights while arriving air passengers can board ferries at the pier for their journeys back to the PRD. Passengers travelling both directions can bypass custom and immigration formalities, which reduces transit time. Four ports - Shekou, Shenzhen, Macau and Humen (Dongguan) - were initially served. As of August 2007, SkyPier serves Shenzhen's Shekou and Fuyong, Dongguan's Humen, Macau, Zhongshan and Zhuhai. Moreover, passengers travelling from Shekou and Macau piers can even complete airline check-in procedures before boarding the ferries and go straight to the boarding gate for the connecting flight at HKIA. The provision of cross boundary coach and ferry services has transformed HKIA into an inter-modal transportation hub combining air, sea and land transport.
Baggage and cargo facilities
Ramp handling services are provided by Hong Kong Airport Services Limited (HAS), Jardine Air Terminal Services Limited, and Menzies Aviation Group (Hong Kong) Limited. Their services include the handling of mail and passenger baggage, transportation of cargo, aerobridge operations and the operation of passenger stairways. The airport has an advanced baggage handling system (BHS), the main section of which is located in the basement level of the passenger terminal, and a separate remote transfer facility at the western end of the main concourse for handling of tight connection transfer bags.
HKIA is capable of handling three million tonnes of cargo annually. Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited operates one of the two air cargo terminals at the airport. Its headquarters, the 270,000 sq m SuperTerminal 1, is the world's largest stand-alone air cargo handling facility, with a designed capacity of 2.6 million tonnes of freight a year. The second air cargo terminal is operated by Asia Airfreight Terminal Company Limited, and currently has a capacity of 0.4 million tonnes a year. It is envisaged that HKIA's total air cargo capacity per annum will reach nine million tonnes ultimately.
Aircraft maintenance services
Both line and base maintenance services are undertaken by Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (HAECO), while China Aircraft Services Limited and Pan Asia Pacific Aviation Services Limited carry out line maintenance. Line maintenance services include routine servicing of aircraft performed during normal turnaround periods and regularly scheduled layover periods. Base maintenance covers all airframe maintenance services and, for this, HAECO has a three-bay hangar, which can accommodate up to three Boeing B747-400 aircraft and two Airbus A320 aircraft, and an adjoining support workshop. HAECO also has the world's largest mobile hangar, weighing over 400 tons. It can be used to enclose half of a wide-body airplane, so that the whole facility can fully enclose four 747s when the mobile hangar is used. A new two-bay hangar that locates next to the current one will be in operation by the end of 2006.
Airport based ground services
The Air Traffic Control Complex (ATCX), located at the centre of the airfield, is the nerve centre of the entire air traffic control system. Some 370 air traffic controllers and supporting staff work around the clock to provide air traffic control services for the safe and efficient flow of aircraft movements within the Hong Kong Flight Information Region (FIR). At the Air Traffic Control Tower, controllers provide 24-hour aerodrome control services to aircraft operating at the airport. A Backup Air Traffic Control Centre/Tower constructed to the north of the ATCX is available for operational use in the event normal services provided in the ATCX are disrupted by unforeseen circumstances. Apart from serving as an operational backup, the facilities are also used for air traffic control training.
To comply with the Global Implementation Plan, the Civil Aviation Department plans to introduce satellite based Communications, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) Systems to enhance flight safety and efficiency as well as to maintain Hong Kong's status as a centre of international and regional aviation. The project will take 15 years and owing to the complexities involved, extensive studies and trials are being conducted before the new technologies are to be fully adopted. Currently, some of new services, including Digital-Automatic Terminal Information Service (D-ATIS), Digital-Meteorological Information for Aircraft in Flight (D-VOLMET) and delivery of Pre-Departure Clearance (PDC) over data links, are provided at HKIA to enhance the operational efficiency of both pilots and air traffic controllers.
The Airport Meteorological Office (AMO) of the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) provides weather services for the aviation community The AMO makes routine and special weather observations and provides fixed-time aerodrome forecasts and landing forecasts for the HKIA. It issues aerodrome warnings on adverse weather for protection of aerodrome facilities and aircraft on the ground. It also issues significant weather information on thunderstorms, tropical cyclones, turbulence, icing, and other hazardous weather which may affect aviation safety in the area within which Hong Kong is responsible for the provision of air traffic services. To enhance the safety of aircraft landing and taking off from HKIA, the AMO issues alerts of low-level windshear and turbulence.
Rescue and fire fighting services within the airport are covered by the Airport Fire Contingent of the Hong Kong Fire Services Department. The contingent has a strength of 282 uniformed members, operating two fire stations and two rescue berths for 24-hour emergency calls. It is equipped with 14 fire appliances which can respond to incidents within two minutes in optimum conditions of visibility and surface conditions, satisfying the relevant recommendation of the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Two high capacity rescue boats, supported by eight speed boats, form the core of sea rescue operations.
Gatwick Airport (IATA: LGW, ICAO: EGKK) is London's second largest airport and the second busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow. It is also the world's busiest single runway airport, and the world's 22nd busiest airport in terms of passengers per year (7th in terms of international passengers). It is located in Crawley, West Sussex (originally Charlwood, Surrey) 2.7 nm (5 km or 3 miles) north of the town centre, 24.7 nm (46 km or 28 miles) south of London and 21.6 nm (40 km or 25 miles) north of Brighton.
With about 200 destinations the airport handled over 34 million passengers with 263,363 aircraft movements in 2006. It was confirmed that during 2007 Gatwick broke through the 35 million barrier for the first time in its history.
Charter airlines generally do not operate from Heathrow and therefore use Gatwick as their main base for London and the Southeast.
For the past 30 years many flights to and from the USA have also used Gatwick because of the restrictions on access to Heathrow that were enshrined in the 1977 Bermuda II bilateral air services agreement between the UK and the US.
The airport is a major operational base for British Airways, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic.
London Gatwick has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P528) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.
History
The name "Gatwick" dates back to 1241, and was the name of a manor on the site of today's airport until the 19th century. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words gat, 'goat', and wic, 'dairy farm', i.e. 'goat farm'.
In 1891 a racecourse was created at Gatwick beside the London-Brighton railway, and a railway station was built which included sidings for horse boxes. The course was popular and held both steeplechase and flat races. During the First World War the course hosted the Grand National.
1920-1945
In the 1920s land adjacent to the racecourse at Hunts Green Farm along Tinsley Green Lane was used as an aerodrome and licensed in August 1930. The Surrey Aero Club was formed in 1930 and used the old Hunts Green farmhouse as the first club house.
The Redwing Aircraft Company bought the aerodrome in 1932 and operated a flying school. The aerodrome was also used for pilots flying in to watch the races. In 1933, the aerodrome was sold to an investor who had designs to run it as an airport. The Air Ministry approved commercial flights from Gatwick the following year, and by 1936, scheduled flights were operating to several destinations on the Continent. A circular terminal called "The Beehive", designed by Frank Hoar, was built together with a subway connecting it to Gatwick railway station so that passengers could travel from Victoria Station to the aircraft without stepping into the elements. Two fatal accidents in 1936 questioned the safety of the airport. Moreover, it was prone to fog and waterlogging. The new subway regularly flooded after heavy rain. As a consequence of these conditions and the need for longer landing strips British Airways Ltd. moved out to Croydon Airport in 1937. Gatwick changed back to private flying and was contracted as a Royal Air Force flying training school. The airport also attracted aircraft repair companies.
Gatwick Airport was requisitioned by the RAF in September 1939 and used for aircraft maintenance. Although night-fighters, an army co-operation squadron and later fighters were based at Gatwick, it was mainly used as a repair and maintenance facility.
1945-1970
After the war aircraft maintenance continued, and a number of charter companies using war-surplus aircraft started to use the airport. Initially most of the services were cargo flights, although the airport still suffered from bad drainage and was little used. In November 1948 the airport owners warned that the airport could be de-requesitioned by November 1949 and revert back to private use.
Stansted airport was favoured as London's second airport and Gatwick's future was in doubt. Despite opposition from the neighbouring local authorities, in 1950 the Cabinet decided that Gatwick was to be designated as an alternative to Heathrow. The government announced in July 1952 that the airport was to be developed, and the airport was closed for an extensive ( pounds 7.8 million) renovation between 1956 and 1958. On 9 June 1958 Queen Elizabeth II flew into the new airport, in a De Havilland Heron, to perform the official opening.
The main pier of what is now the South Terminal was built during the 1956-58 construction of Gatwick. In 1962, two additional piers were added.
The new Gatwick was the world's first airport with a direct railway link, and was one of the first to use a fully enclosed pier-based terminal design which allowed passengers to walk under cover to waiting areas very close to their aircraft with only minimal walking distance outdoors. Full extendible jetbridge access was added when the piers were rebuilt and extended in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
British European Airways started flying from Gatwick and BEA Helicopters opened a base at the airport. British West Indian Airways (BWIA) and Sudan Airways were among the first overseas-based airlines to serve Gatwick on a regular, scheduled basis.
From the late 1950s a growing number of Britain's privately owned airlines began to establish themselves at Gatwick. The first of these was Morton Air Services, which had shifted its entire operation to the airport when its previous base at Croydon closed. It was soon followed by Airwork, Hunting-Clan and Transair. In July 1960 these airlines merged to form British United Airways (BUA). Throughout the 1960s BUA was Britain's largest Independent airline. During that decade it became Gatwick's largest resident airline. By the end of the decade it also became the airport's leading scheduled operator, with a 71,000 km (43,217 miles) network of short-, medium and long-haul routes stretching across three continents, i.e. Europe, Africa and South America. These routes were served with contemporary, state-of-the-art BAC One-Eleven and Vickers VC-10 jet aircraft.
1970 to date
In late November 1970 BUA was acquired by the Scottish charter airline Caledonian Airways. The newly created airline was initially known as Caledonian/BUA. In September 1971 it adopted the British Caledonian name. BUA's takeover by Caledonian enabled the latter to transform itself into a major scheduled airline. In addition to the scheduled routes it had inherited from BUA, it launched additional scheduled services to a number of destinations in Europe, North and West Africa, North America as well as the Middle and Far East during the 1970s and '80s. This included the first-ever scheduled service operated by a wholly privately owned UK airline between London and Paris, launched in November 1971, as well as the first-ever transatlantic scheduled services operated by a private UK airline to New York and Los Angeles, launched in April 1973. It furthermore included the launch of the UK's first-ever privately operated scheduled air service to Hong Kong (via Dubai) in August 1980.
In November 1972 Laker Airways became the first operator of widebody aircraft at Gatwick, following the introduction of two McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 10 series widebodied trijets into its fleet. Laker's DC-10 fleet expanded throughout the 1970s and early '80s with the introduction of a number of longer range series 30 aircraft. This enabled the launch of Gatwick's first daily long-haul, low fare no frills flights between the airport and New York JFK on September 1, 1977.
British Caledonian was also a major, Gatwick-based operator of the DC-10-30 widebody, having introduced its first pair in March and May 1977, respectively. The airline eventually operated a small fleet of Boeing 747-200s as well, having acquired its first jumbo jet in 1982.
Dan-Air and Air Europe were among other UK Independents that used to have a major presence at Gatwick during the 1970s, '80s and early '90s, and that played a major role in the development of the airport and its scheduled route network.
As passenger numbers grew, a circular satellite pier was added to the terminal building in 1983, connected to the main terminal by the UK's first automated people mover system (now withdrawn). However, there was still a need for more capacity. Construction began on the North Terminal in 1983: it was the largest construction project south of London to have taken place in the 1980s. The terminal was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988 and was expanded in 1991. It is connected to the South Terminal by an automated rapid transit system. A major extension to the North Terminal departure lounge was completed in 2001, and in 2005 a new pounds 110 million additional aircraft (pier Pier 6) opened, adding an extra 11 pier-served aircraft stands. Linked by the world's largest air passenger bridge to the main terminal building, it spans a live aircraft taxiway, giving arriving and departing passengers at Gatwick views of the airport and taxiing aircraft.
In 2000, a major extension to the South Terminal departure lounge was completed, and in 2005 an extension and refurbishment was also completed to the baggage reclaim hall, doubling it in size. The terminal is currently undergoing a refurbishment. In recent years the terminal has been used by the low cost airlines operating out of Gatwick, and many of the former users have moved to the newer North Terminal.
Incidents and accidents
17 February 1959 - a Turkish Airlines Vickers Viscount on an international charter flight crashed in heavy fog near Horley whilst approaching to land at Gatwick. The plane hit some trees. 14 of 24 on board the plane died. On board at the time was then-Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes, who was amongst the survivors.
5 January 1969 - a Boeing 727-113C operating flight 701 of Ariana Afghan Airlines was arriving at Gatwick from Frankfurt Rhein-Main Airport, Germany, and crashed into a house while attempting to land in low visibility conditions. The flaps were not extended far enough to maintain flight at final approach speed. 50 of the 66 people on board died as well as two on the ground.
20 July 1975 - a British Island Airways(BIA) Handley Page Dart Herald was involved in a runway accident while departing London Gatwick on a scheduled flight to Guernsey. The aircraft lifted off from Gatwick's runway 26 after a ground run of about 760 m and appeared to be airborne for a further 125 m with its landing gear retracting before the rear underside of the fuselage settled back on to the runway. None of the 45 occupants were hurt in that accident.
Gatwick today
Further information: Gatwick Airport Prayer Rooms
Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport has two terminals, called North and South. The terminals are connected by a transit system consisting of three-car automatic driverless vehicles that run along a 1.2km long elevated two-way track. The transit is free to use with a travel time of one minute fifty-six seconds. It runs every three minutes in peak travel periods (when two vehicles are used), and every six minutes at all other times (when one vehicle shuttles back and forth).
Both terminals at Gatwick offer a range of facilities for travellers, including a large number of shops and restaurants both landside and airside. Disabled passengers can travel easily through the airport with all areas being fully accessible. There are facilities for baby changing and feeding, and play areas and video games to keep children amused.
Business travellers are catered for by several executive lounges offering peace and quiet and modern business facilities. There is also a conference and business centre with meeting facilities and business services. Business Travellers are also offered Fast Track which enables an efficient car park to airport to check-in and then to flight service.
The airport and the surrounding area has many hotels of differing grades from executive accommodation to a capsule hotel.
The airport has Anglican, Catholic and Free Church Chaplains. There is a multi-faith prayer room and counselling room in each terminal. A daily service is led by one of the chaplains. The prayer room is open to all faiths for prayer and devotion by all passengers.
As of late 2007, British Airways and easyJet are Gatwick's two dominant resident airlines, accounting for 25% and 17% of its slots, respectively. The latter's share of Gatwick slots is expected to rise to 24%, as a result of its proposed takeover of British Airways franchise carrier GB Airways, which accounted for 7% of the airport's slots during the aforementioned period. The planned acquisition of GB Airways will also result in easyJet becoming Gatwick's biggest short-haul operator, accounting for 29% of all short-haul passengers (ahead of BA's 23%).
Operations
Gatwick has two runways but the northern runway 08L/26R is a non-instrument runway and is only used when 08R/26L is temporarily non-operational because of maintenance or an accident. The runways cannot be used at the same time because of insufficient separation between them. It can take up to 15 minutes to change over from one runway to the other.
The northern runway 08L/26R does not have an Instrument Landing System and aircraft need to use a combination of Distance Measuring Equipment, Non-directional beacons, and assistance from the airport approach controller using a surveillance radar.
Considerable use is made of continuous descent approach techniques to minimise the environmental effects of incoming aircraft, particularly at night.
Night-time flights at Gatwick are subject to various restrictions. Between 11.00pm and 7.00am (the night period) the noisiest aircraft (rated QC/8 and QC/16) may not operate at all. In addition, between 11.30pm and 6.00am (the night quota period) there are three limits:
An overall limit on the number of flights allowed;
A Quota Count system which limits the total amount of noise permitted, but allows operators to choose to operate fewer noisy aircraft or a greater number of quieter planes;
QC/4 aircraft may not be scheduled to operate at night.
Security
The airport is policed by a unit of Sussex Police. The unit has jurisdiction over the whole airport, including any aircraft within its boundaries, except ones on the active runways. There are currently 150 officers in this unit including a significant number of armed officers, unarmed officers and community support officers who help out with the airport community and help to deal with minor offences. They are part of a Neighbourhood Specialist team.
The airport also has a sub-unit which protects against MANPADS by patrolling the area in and around the airport. A separate sub-unit has also set up vehicle check points around the airport.
Access
The airport is located at junction 9A of the M23; a spur road itself from the main M23 motorway. The M23 connects with London's orbital motorway; the M25, 9 miles (14 km) away at junction 8, offering road access to surrounding areas and beyond. Gatwick is on the A23 London to Brighton road and is also located at the southern end of the A217.
Gatwick Airport has set itself the objective that 40% of its passengers should be using public transport by the time the airport's annual throughput reaches 40 million (currently estimated in 2015), up from the 2006 figure of 35.3%.
The Gatwick Airport railway station is located next to the South Terminal and provides fast and frequent connections along the Brighton Main Line to London Victoria and London Bridge stations, as well as Brighton to the south. The Gatwick Express service to Victoria is the best-known rail service from the station, but several other companies, including Southern, First Capital Connect, CrossCountry and First Great Western Link, use the station as well. First Capital Connect provide direct trains to Luton Airport, and foot passengers with modest luggage can reach Heathrow Airport by catching a X26 Express Bus from the bus stops outside East Croydon station.
National Express operates coach services from Gatwick to both Heathrow and Stansted Airport, as well as smaller cities throughout the region.
Route 21 of the National Cycle Network passes under the South Terminal, allowing virtually traffic-free cycling northwards to Horley and southwards to Three Bridges and Crawley. A goods-style lift runs between the terminal and ground level (signed "Lift to Cycle Route"), near Zone L.
A large network of direct local bus services connect the North and South terminals with Crawley, Horley, Redhill, Horsham and other local destinations. Services are offered by Metrobus and Fastway; a guided bus rapid transit system which was the first of its kind to be constructed outside a major city. There are at least two sets of stairs which foot-passengers can use to leave the South Terminal and get to ground-level (near the cycle route) from the vicinity of Zone L and the train-station area (steps are labelled Exit Q and Exit P on the ground). These allow access to bus stops for local services.
The airport has several long and short stay car parks, both at the airport and off-site, although these are often full to capacity in the summer months. Local planning restrictions have limited the supply of car-parking facilites at and around Gatwick.
Future development
In 1979 an agreement was reached with the local council not to expand further before 2019, but recent proposals to build a second runway suitable for large jets at Gatwick led to protests about increased noise and pollution and demolition of houses and villages. The government has now decided to expand Stansted and Heathrow but not Gatwick. Gatwick's owners BAA have published a new consultation which includes a possible second runway south of the airport, but leaves the villages of Charlwood and Hookwood intact, north of the airport.
Paya Lebar Airbase (IATA: QPG, ICAO: WSAP) was built as a civilian airport, known as Singapore International Airport, in 1955.
It was a hub for Malayan Airways at this time (the other being Kuala Lumpur); and the airline had its first flight outside Southeast Asia in 1958, using a DC-4 leased from Qantas, flying to Hong Kong. Turboprops were introduced over the next few years; and the name was changed to Malaysian Airways.
In 1966, the company focused more on Singapore, buying Boeing 707s, headquartering itself in that country, and renaming itself Malaysia-Singapore Airlines - with a notable florescent yellow livery. Its primary hub became Paya Lebar; and services began to reach out further into north Asia.
From 1979-1980, British Airways in conjunction with Singapore Airlines began supersonic Concorde services from London's Heathrow Airport, to Paya Lebar Singapore.
Malaysia-Singapore Airlines was dissolved in 1972; Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines was formed - keeping all the above 707s; and Singapore Airlines remained at Paya Lebar. But passenger numbers rose from 1.7 million to 4 million between 1970 and 1975. The airport was constrained by housing estates; and although some work was done to keep it operational in the meantime, construction began on the present Singapore International Airport at Changi in 1975; opening in 1981. Paya Lebar then closed to civil traffic, and Changi took over Paya Lebar's IATA code of SIN.
Paya Lebar began to be gradually converted into a military air force base from 1967 onwards. During that year, an Air Movement Centre was constructed to handle passengers and cargo arriving on Republic of Singapore Air Force flights, Ministry of Defence charter flights and foreign military aircraft. It became a complete military airbase in 1981 when Singapore Changi Airport was opened. It currently houses aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules and the upgraded AMRAAM capable F-5S/T (Tiger IIs). The 122nd, 141st, 144th and 149th Squadrons are also housed at Paya Lebar AFB. The Republic of Singapore Air Force hosts its open house at Paya Lebar Air Base bi-annually.
Occasionally Paya Lebar Air Base plays host to commercial/VIP aircraft as well. Air Force One has landed at the Air Base during President George W. Bush's two visits to Singapore in October 2003 and November 2006. Air Force Two carrying Vice President Dick Cheney also made a brief refueling stop at the Air Base enroute from Australia in 2007.
Narita International Airport (IATA: NRT, ICAO: RJAA) is an international airport located in Narita, Chiba, Japan, in the eastern portion of the Greater Tokyo Area. It is located 60 kilometers from the downtown Tokyo core.
Narita handles the majority of international passenger traffic to and from Japan, and is also a major connecting point for air traffic between Asia and the Americas. It is the second-busiest passenger airport in Japan, busiest air freight hub in Japan, and fifth-busiest air freight hub in the world. It serves as the main international hub of Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways. It is also a major hub for Northwest Airlines and a focus city for United Airlines. Under Japanese law, it is classified as a first class airport.
The airport was known as New Tokyo International Airport until 2004. Tokyo is the source of much of Narita Airport's traffic. The airport is located about 40 miles away from the 23 Special Wards (1 hour by the fastest train) and in a different prefecture. Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport), located in Ota, Tokyo, is the busiest airport in Japan and the fourth-busiest in the world, even though it handles very little international traffic.
History
The construction and expansion of Narita Airport in Japanese history led to one of the most infamous (and violent) conflicts between the Japanese government and the Japanese population, its bitterness still reflected in prominent cane-armed police at the airport. This conflict perhaps reflects the centrality of land-ownership tradition in traditional Japanese culture. The conflict was a major factor in deciding to build the new Osaka and Nagoya airports (Kansai and Chubu respectively) offshore on reclaimed land, instead of again trying to expropriate land in heavily populated areas.
Construction
By the early 1960s, Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) was quickly becoming overcrowded. Its location on Tokyo Bay made further expansion difficult, as a large amount of new land would have to be created in order to build more runways and terminals. While this strategy was used for later airport projects in Japan (such as Kansai International Airport), the government believed that landfill in the bay would be too costly and difficult, and would hinder the development of the Port of Tokyo. Haneda also suffered from airspace restrictions due to its central location and proximity to US airbases, so the government feared that further expansion of Haneda would lead to overcrowding in the sky.
In 1962, the Japanese government began investigating possible alternatives to Haneda, and proposed a "New Tokyo International Airport" to take over Haneda's international flights. The rapid postwar growth of Tokyo caused a shortage of available flat land in the Kanto region, so the only viable location for the airport was in rural Chiba Prefecture. Initially, surveyors proposed placing the airport in the village of Tomisato; however, the site was moved 5 km northeast to the villages of Sanrizuka and Shibayama, where the Imperial Household had a large farming estate. This development plan was made public in 1966.
At the time, the socialist movement still possessed considerable strength in Japan, evidenced by the large-scale student riots in Tokyo in 1960. Beside locals who had lived in the area for many years and were unwilling to relinquish their land, many in the "new left" such as Chukaku-ha opposed the construction of Narita Airport, reasoning that the real purpose for the new airport was to provide additional facilities for US military aircraft in the event of war with the Soviet Union. In the late 1960s, a group of local residents combined with student activists and left-wing political parties formed a popular resistance group known as the Sanrizuka-Shibayama Union to Oppose the Airport, which used a combination of popular appeals, lawsuits and actual guerilla warfare tactics to hinder the government's development plan.
Eminent domain power had rarely been used in Japan up to that point. Traditionally, the Japanese government would offer to relocate homeowners in regions slated for expropriation, rather than condemn their property and pay compensation as provided by law. In the case of Narita Airport, strangely this type of cooperative expropriation did not occur: some residents went as far as using terror by threatening to burn down new homes of anyone who would voluntarily move out.
Under the 1966 plan, the airport would have been completed in 1971, but due to the ongoing resettlement disputes, not all of the land for the airport was available by then. Finally, in 1971, the Japanese government began forcibly expropriating land. 291 protesters were arrested and more than 1,000 police, villagers and student militants were injured in a series of riots, notably on 16th September 1971 when three policemen were killed in a riot involving thousands. Some protesters chained themselves to their homes and refused to leave .
Takenaka Corporation constructed the first terminal building, which was completed in 1972. The first runway took several more years due to constant fights with the Union and sympathizers, who occupied several pieces of land necessary to complete the runway. The runway was completed and the airport scheduled to open on March 30, 1978, but this plan was disrupted when, on March 26, 1978, a group armed with Molotov cocktails drove into the airport in a burning car, broke into the control tower and destroyed much of its equipment. This delayed the opening by another two months, to May 20, 1978.
Although the airport did open, it opened under a level of security unprecedented in Japan. The airfield was surrounded by opaque metal fencing and overlooked by guard towers staffed with riot police. Passengers arriving at the airport were (and still are) subject to baggage and travel document searches before even entering the terminal, in an attempt to keep anti-airport activists and terrorists out of the facility. The last anti-airport riot, orchastrated by left wing militants known as Chukaku-ha, took place in 1985.
JAL moved its main international hub from Haneda to Narita, and Northwest and Pan Am also moved their Asian regional hubs from Haneda to Narita. Pan Am sold its Pacific Division, including its Narita hub, to United Airlines in February 1986. ANA began scheduled international flights from Narita to Guam in 1986 and expanded its presence at the airport through the 1990s to become the #2 carrier at the airport after JAL.
Original Expansion Plans
Under the original plan, New Tokyo International Airport was to have three runways: two parallel northwest/southeast runways 4,000 m in length and an intersecting northeast/southwest runway 3,200 m in length. Upon the airport's opening in 1978, only one of the parallel runways was completed; the other two runways were delayed to avoid aggravating the already tense situation surrounding the airport. The original plan also called for a high-speed rail line, the Narita Shinkansen, to connect the airport to central Tokyo, but this project was also cancelled with only some of the necessary land obtained.
On November 26, 1986, the airport authority began work on Phase II, a new runway north of the airport's original main runway. To avoid the problems that plagued the first phase, the Minister of Transport promised in 1991 that the expansion would not involve expropriation. Residents in surrounding regions were compensated for the increased noise-pollution with home upgrades and soundproofing, although some farmers who refused to give up their land were forced to keep henhouses close to the threshold of the new runway. This runway opened on April 18, 2002, in time for the World Cup events held in Japan that year. However, its final length of 2,180 m, much shorter than its original plan length(2500m), leaves it too short to accommodate Boeing 747s. Phase II also involved a second passenger terminal, completed by Takenaka Corporation on December 6, 1992.
Through the end of the 1980s, Narita Airport's train station was located fairly far from the terminal, and passengers faced either a long walk or a bus ride (at an additional charge and subject to random security screenings). Transport Minister Shintaro Ishihara, now governor of Tokyo, pressed airport train operators JR and Keisei Railway to connect their lines directly to the airport's terminals, and opened up the underground station that would have accommodated the Shinkansen for regular train service. Direct train service to Terminal 1 began on March 19, 1991, and the old Narita Airport Station was renamed Higashi-Narita Station.
In the late 1980s, the Union to Oppose the Airport constructed two steel towers, 30.8 meters (102 feet) and 62.3 meters (206 feet) respectively, blocking the northbound approach path to the main runway. In January 1990, the Chiba District Court ordered the towers dismantled without compensation to the Union; the Supreme Court of Japan upheld this verdict as constitutional in 1993.
Current issues
On April 1, 2004, New Tokyo International Airport was privatized and officially renamed Narita International Airport, reflecting its popular designation since its opening. Following privatization, the airport has reached record traffic levels, and several construction projects are ongoing.
In addition to the ongoing political disputes, which have lessened in severity over the years, arguments over slots and landing fees have plagued the busy airport. Because so many airlines want to use it, the Japanese aviation authorities have limited the number of flights each airline can operate from this airport, making the airport expensive for both airlines and their passengers.
One of the most constant criticisms of the airport has been its distance from central Tokyo-an hour by the fastest train, and often longer by road due to traffic jams. The distance is even more problematic for residents and businesses in west Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture, both of which are much closer to Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport). The Narita Rapid Railway, scheduled to open in 2010, will alleviate the problem to some extent by shaving 20 minutes off the travel time. Improvements such as the Wangan Expressway have shaved off travel time to Kanagawa Prefecture by bypassing Tokyo.
Several gates at Narita are being refitted with double-decker jetbridges to accommodate the Airbus A380.
Although the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has given Narita a monopoly on international air service to the Tokyo region, that monopoly has been gradually weakening. Haneda has had limited international service for some time, beginning with flights to Taiwan and later replaced by flights to Gimpo Airport in Seoul. Following the construction of Haneda's Runway D in 2009, the government aims to transfer other international services to Haneda in order to relieve Narita's congestion and expansion problems. The Ministry of Transport continues to investigate the possibility of building a new reliever airport on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay or off the Kujukuri coast of Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara has proposed redeveloping Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo as a civil airport.
The future Hyakuri Airfield (Ibaraki Airport), opening in 2009, will relieve traffic for domestic passengers destined to/from Ibaraki and Tochigi Prefectures, and potentially those in Gunma. Technically, the runway here is large enough for jumbo jets. Shizuoka Airport, currently under construction, could take away Numazu-Fuji area passengers that would otherwise come to Narita.
There may be ongoing plans to extend the 2nd runway to 2500m and also taxiway improvement is urgently required in the parallel taxiway "to the letter" in the curved portion only of the administrative subrogation is also being considered. Plans ongoing include a C runway (third runway) is a length of 3200m and a width of 60 m for the construction of the crosswind that have been frozen. The current use of the disused runway are pending construction to turn it to a runway. Suppose for the crosswind runway is completed if the strong winds from the north-south wind when landing easier. Also, if the weather changes completed by the landing delay decrease in the arrival and departure of efficiency improvement of slots for the increase is to be expected.
Due to environmental concerns raised, in particular from surrounding residents, significant cost in addition to airport construction alone was created. E.g. approx. 40billion Yen for noise protection and 20 billion Yen for electromagnetic protection. In total approx. 320billion Yen have been spent to compensate for environmental impact of the airport since its opening.
Notable Incidents
1985: On 22 June, a piece of luggage exploded while being transferred to an Air India flight, killing two baggage handlers. The luggage had originated at Vancouver International Airport. Fifty-five minutes later, another piece of luggage, also originating from Vancouver, exploded on Air India Flight 182, killing all onboard.
1994: On 11 December, Philippine Airlines Flight 434 was en route from Cebu to Narita when a bomb on board exploded, killing a passenger. The airliner was able to make an emergency landing in Okinawa. Authorities later found out that the bomb was a test run for the Project Bojinka plot, which targeted several U.S. airliners departing Narita on 21 January 1995 as part of its first phase.
1997: United Airlines Flight 826 experienced severe turbulence after leaving Narita en-route for Honolulu. Due to injuries sustained by passengers, the aircraft made an emergency landing at Narita. One woman on the flight died of her injuries .
January 31, 2001: Japan Airlines Flight 958, bound for Narita from Gimhae International Airport in Busan, nearly collided with another Japan Airlines aircraft. The other aircraft, a Boeing 747, suddenly dived and avoided the Narita-bound DC-10. See 2001 Japan Airlines mid-air incident
2001: In May, Kim Jong-nam, the son of North Korean President Kim Jong-il, was arrested at New Tokyo International Airport for travelling with a forged passport, and was deported to the People's Republic of China.
2004: On July 13, Bobby Fischer was detained at Narita Airport for using an invalid U.S. passport while trying to board a Japan Airlines flight to Manila. He left Japan a year later after obtaining asylum in Iceland.
Incidents
November 19, 2006, an Air Canada 767-300 flying from Shanghai to Vancouver suffered severe turbulence, and made an emergency landing at Narita airport. 4 flight attendants were sent to the hospital.
Terminals and airlines
Narita Airport has two separate terminals with separate underground train stations. Connection between the terminals is by shuttle bus (buses are available both inside and outside the security area) and trains; there is no pedestrian connection.
John F. Kennedy International Airport (IATA: JFK, ICAO: KJFK, FAA LID: JFK) is an international airport located in Queens, in southeastern New York City and about 12 miles (19 km) from Lower Manhattan. Originally known as the Idlewild Airport (IATA: IDL, ICAO: KIDL, FAA LID: IDL), it was renamed in 1963 in memory of the late President John F. Kennedy. It is colloquially referred to simply as "Kennedy" or "JFK" airport.
JFK airport is the newest and busiest of New York City's three primary commercial airports. It is the top international air passenger gateway to the United States and is also the leading freight gateway to the country by value of shipments. The airport is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages four other airports in the New York metropolitan area, Newark Liberty, LaGuardia, Stewart International Airport (SWF) and Teterboro. It is the base of operations for JetBlue Airways and is also a major international gateway hub for Delta Air Lines and American Airlines.
The five largest airlines at JFK in market share are JetBlue Airways (27.3%), Delta Airlines/Connection (18.6%), American Airlines (18.5%), British Airways (2.8%), and United Airlines (1.9%).
JFK's outbound international travel accounted for 17% of all U.S. travelers who went overseas in 2004, the largest share of any U.S. airport. In 2000, JFK handled an average of about 50,000 international passengers each day. The JFK-London Heathrow route is the leading U.S. international airport pair with over 2.9 million passengers in 2000. Other top international destinations from JFK are Paris, Frankfurt, and Tokyo. Nearly 100 airlines from over 50 countries operate regularly scheduled flights from JFK. Although JFK is known for its historical role as an international gateway airport for the United States, it also handles a large number of domestic flights. In 2007 the airport handled 46.9 million passengers; Newark Liberty International Airport handled about 36.2 million and LaGuardia Airport about 25.3 million, making for a total of approximately 108.4 million travelers using New York's airports.
History
Construction of the airport began in 1942 with modest ambitions - approximately $60 million were spent for its construction, but only 1,000 acres (4 sq km) of land on the site of the Idlewild golf course were earmarked for use, which provided the airport's original commonly-used though unofficial name, Idlewild Airport. The airport is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, under a 1947 lease from the City of New York.. The airport saw its first commercial flight on July 1, 1948. It was dedicated as "New York International Airport" on July 31 of that same year, although the name "Idlewild" remained in common use and the official IATA airport code was IDL. It is estimated that JFK international provides some $6.6 billion of economic activity and 207,000 jobs in the New York metropolitan region today.
Until the construction of the International Arrivals Building in 1957, the Temporary Terminal was the sole terminal. The growing popularity and advantages of commercial air travel made the expansion of the airport a major need owing to New York's importance as a major center of international commerce and tourism. Another 4,000 acres (16 sq km) were allocated to the airport and 8 new terminals were constructed from 1958 to 1971, each designed by one of the airport's main airlines. which become the hub of major airlines such as Pan Am, TWA and the National Airlines.
The Worldport (Pan Am), now Terminal 3, opened in 1962. It featured a large, elliptical roof suspended by 32 sets of radial posts and cables. The roof extended far beyond the base of the terminal and covered the passenger loading area. It was one of the first airline terminals in the world to feature Jetways that connected to the terminal and that could be moved to provide an easy walkway for passengers from the terminal to a docked aircraft, rather than having to board the plane outside via airstairs.
The TWA Flight Center, now Terminal 5, also opened in 1962. Designed by Eero Saarinen, it was sculpted as an abstract symbol of flight. It is considered one of the most architecturally distinguished airport terminal designs in the world. With the demise of TWA, however, it is no longer in use. The main building will be kept as a part of a new Terminal 5 building built by JetBlue.
The airport was renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1963, one month after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The airport received the new IATA airport code of JFK, and since then the airport has become widely referred to by the abbreviation "JFK".
In 1970, National Airlines opened their Sundrome, designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. It is now used by JetBlue and is known as Terminal 6. As air traffic in New York continued to grow, both Terminal 5 and Terminal 3 were modified in the 1970s to accommodate new Boeing 747s. The supersonic Concorde, operated by Air France and British Airways, provided scheduled trans-Atlantic supersonic service to JFK from 1977 until 2003, when Concorde was retired by both carriers. JFK had the most Concorde operations annually of any airport in the world.
The cargo operations at JFK were targeted in the 1978 Lufthansa heist and 1967 Air France robbery, inspiring the Nicholas Pileggi novel Wiseguy and Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas.
By the mid-1980s, JFK had overtaken Newark International Airport (now Newark Liberty International Airport) to become New York City's busiest airport.
In 1998, the airport began construction of the AirTrain JFK rapid transit system. Completed in December 2003, the rail network links each airport terminal to New York City subways and regional commuter trains at Howard Beach and Jamaica, Queens.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, JFK was one of the first airports in the United States to be temporarily closed.
On March 19, 2007, JFK became the first airport in the United States to receive the Airbus A380 with passengers aboard. The route-proving flight with more than 500 passengers was operated jointly by Lufthansa and Airbus and arrived at Terminal 1.
Redevelopment plans
JFK is undergoing a $10.3 billion redevelopment. The airport opened a new Terminal 1 in 1998. The $1.4 billion replacement for the International Arrivals Building, Terminal 4, opened in 2001. Construction has begun on JetBlue Airways' new Terminal 5, which will incorporate the historic landmark TWA FlightCenter terminal. Delta Air Lines has undertaken a refurbishment of Terminals 2 and 3 (for its hub operation), while Terminals 8 and 9 have undergone redevelopment as one single terminal for American Airlines hub operation - Terminal 8.
Original plans called for the redevelopment of Terminal 6 for United Airlines . However, United has since dramatically reduced its operation at JFK and has abandoned any plans for a future JFK hub. As of August 2007, no plans have been released as to the future of Terminal 6, currently occupied by JetBlue, once the airline's new Terminal 5 becomes operational.
Infrastructure and services
Runways
Two pairs of parallel runways, four in all, surround the airport's central terminal area: 4L-22R, 4R-22L, 13L-31R and 13R-31L. Runway 13R-31L is the second longest commercial runway in North America, at a length of 14,572 ft (4,441 m).
Runway 4R-22L is 8,400 feet (2,600 m) long and 200 feet (61 m) wide. It is equipped at both ends with Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), Approach Lighting Systems (ALS) with sequenced flashers, and touchdown zone (TDZ) lighting.
Runway 4R is a Category III A/L ILS runway, permitting landings with a visibility of 600 feet (180 m) or more by qualified aircrews. The first Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) in North America was installed at the northeast end of the runway in 1996. The bed consists of cellular cement material, which can safely decelerate and stop an aircraft that overruns the runway. The arrestor bed concept was originated and developed by the Port Authority and installed at JFK Airport as a joint research and development project with the FAA and industry. Runway 22L ILS is also a Category III runway. Runway 4L-22R is 11,351 feet (3,460 m) long by 150 feet (46 m) wide and is also equipped with ILS at both ends allowing landings down to three-quarters of a mile visibility. Takeoffs can be conducted with one-eighth of a mile visibility.
Runway 13L-31R is 10,000 feet (3,000 m) long by 150 feet (46 m) wide and is equipped at both ends with ILS and ALS systems. Runway 13L has two additional visual aids for landing aircraft, a Visual Approach Slope Indicator System (VASI) and a Lead-In Lighting System (LDIN). The ILS on 13L has Category II capability, and along with TDZ lighting, allows landings down to half a mile visibility. Takeoffs can be made with visibility of one-eighth of a mile. JFK has over 25 miles (40 km) of taxiways to move aircraft in and around the airfield. The standard width of these taxiways is 75 feet (23 m), with 25-foot (7.6 m) heavy-duty shoulders and 25-foot (7.6 m) erosion control pavements on each side. The taxiways have centerline lights and are generally of asphalt concrete composition 15 to 18 inches (460 mm) thick. An illuminated sign system provides directional information for taxiing aircraft.
The Air Traffic Control Tower, constructed on the ramp-side of Terminal 4, began full FAA operations in October 1994 and is 321 feet (98 m) tall. An Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE) radar unit sits atop the tower. A gas-fired electric cogeneration plant generates electricity for the airport, with an output of about 90 megawatts. It uses thermal energy from the capture of waste heat to heat and cool all of the passenger terminals and other facilities in the central terminal area.
Aircraft service facilities include seven aircraft hangars, an engine overhaul building, a 32-million gallon aircraft fuel storage facility, and a truck garage.
Passenger terminals
JFK has eight passenger terminals in operation arranged in a U-shaped pattern around a central area containing parking, hotels, a power plant, and other airport facilities. The terminals are connected by the AirTrain system and access roads. A 2006 survey by J.D. Power and Associates in conjunction with Aviation Week found JFK ranked second in overall traveller satisfaction among large airports in the United States, behind McCarran International Airport which serves the Las Vegas metropolitan area.
Terminal 1 has 11 gates. The original Terminal 1, built as a hub for Eastern Airlines, was demolished, a new Terminal 1 was opened in 1998, 50 years after the opening of JFK.
Terminal 2 was opened in 1962 as the home of Northeast Airlines, Braniff and Northwest Airlines. After the demise of Northeast Airlines and Braniff the building was taken over by Delta Air Lines. The building has 11 gates. Delta hopes to merge its two terminals at JFK (2 & 3) into a single modern terminal in the future.
Terminal 3, built as the Worldport in 1960 for Pan American, and substantially expanded for the introduction of the 747 in 1970, has 17 gates. Delta Air Lines currently uses the entire terminal, and has a connector to Terminal 2, its other terminal at JFK.
Terminal 4, the international terminal, is able to handle the Airbus A380 and is managed by the Schiphol Group. It was the first airport terminal in the United States to be managed by a foreign airport operator. Terminal 4 is the major gateway for International Arrivals at JFK. It is the newest structure at JFK that does not incorporate an existing facility. Opened in 2001, the new building was built at a cost of $1.4 billion. The terminal has 17 gates on two concourses. Concourse A has six gates, numbered A2-A7. Concourse B has eleven gates, numbered B20-B31, excluding B21. As Terminal 4 was built during the construction of the AirTrain, the AirTrain station was built inside the terminal building. Other AirTrain stations are built across from terminal buildings.
Terminal 5, also known as the TWA Flight Center, is closed while undergoing reconstruction to become the new terminal for JetBlue Airways.
Terminal 6, built in 1970 as the National Airlines Sundrome, has 14 gates. On June 1, 2006, JetBlue opened a temporary terminal complex that added seven gates onto the terminal and increased the capacity for more flights. Customers access the temporary terminal through shuttle buses after they clear the security checkpoint.
Terminal 7 was built for BOAC and Air Canada in the early 1970s. In 1997, the Port Authority entered an agreement with British Airways to expand the terminal. The renovated terminal has 12 gates.
The former Terminal 8 has just recently been closed and will soon be demolished, as the new American Airlines Terminal 8 (known as Terminal 9 until November 2007) is now fully operational.
Air freight
JFK is the nation's busiest international air freight gateway by value of shipments and the second busiest overall by value including all air, land and sea U.S. freight gateways. Over 21% of all U.S. international air freight by value and 11% by tonnage moved through JFK in 2003.
JFK is a major hub for air cargo between the United States and Europe. London, Brussels and Frankfurt are JFK's three top trade routes. The European airports are mostly a link in a global supply chain, however. The top destination markets for cargo flying out of JFK in 2003 were Tokyo, Seoul and London. Similarly, the top origin markets for imports at JFK were Seoul, Hong Kong, and Taipei, with London taking the fourth spot.
Some of the cargo imported and exported through JFK includes electrical machinery, woven and knit apparel, medical instruments, footwear, plastics and paper.
Nearly 100 cargo air carriers operate out of JFK, among them: ABX Air, Air France, Alitalia, Asiana, Astar Air Cargo, Atlas Air, CAL Cargo Air Lines, Cargo 360, Cargoitalia, Cargolux, China Airlines, Continental Airlines, DHL, Emirates SkyCargo, EVA Air, Evergreen International Airlines, Execaire, FedEx Express, Gemini Air Cargo, Japan Airlines, Kalitta Air, Korean Air, Royal Jordanian, Lufthansa Cargo, Nippon Cargo Airlines, Prince Edward Air, United Cargo, UPS, Varig Logistica, World Airways, Tradewinds Airlines . Top 5 carriers together transported 33.1% of all "revenue" freight in 2005: American Airlines (10.9% of the total), FedEx Express (8.8%), Lufthansa Cargo (5.2%), Korean Air Cargo (4.9%), China Airlines (3.8%).
Most cargo and maintenance facilities at JFK are located north and west of the main terminal area. The following airlines have dedicated cargo terminals at JFK: Continental Airlines, DHL, Emirates SkyCargo, EVA Air, Evergreen International Airlines, FedEx Express, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Nippon Cargo Airlines, United Cargo, and UPS.
In 2000, Korean Air Cargo opened a new $102 million cargo terminal at JFK. It was the largest air freight facility on the East Coast with total warehouse floor area of more than 55,000 sq ft (16, 764 sq m) and capability of handling 200,000 tons annually.
Ground transportation
Rail
JFK is connected to New York's subway and commuter rail system by AirTrain JFK. AirTrain stops at all terminals, car rental lots, and two subway stations. It is free within the airport and $5 to reach the subway stations outside the airport perimeter. Travel time between JFK and Midtown Manhattan is approximately 30-40 minutes (depending on the originating/terminating terminal at JFK) using AirTrain and the Long Island Rail Road at Jamaica Station ($8 to $12); or approximately 75 minutes using AirTrain and the New York City Subway A train at Howard Beach-JFK Station ($2) or E, J and Z trains at Sutphin Boulevard Station ($2).
Bus
Several city bus lines link JFK to the New York City Subway and Long Island Rail Road, including the Q3, Q6, Q7, Q10 (Local/Limited), and B15, with free transfers provided for subway connections. The buses are handicapped accessible. There are also many private bus lines operating express buses to Manhattan, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island.
In addition, China Airlines provides private bus service to the following destinations for its customers :
Citibank in Fort Lee, New Jersey
Top Quality Food Market 828 Rt. 46 in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey
Kam Man Food Inc. at 511 Old Post Road in Edison, New Jersey
Holy Redeemer Church in the Chinatown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Taxi
New York City's yellow cabs, operated by the New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission, offer a flat rate service of $45 from JFK airport to Manhattan, excluding tips and tolls. Since November 30, 2006, this flat rate fare (excluding tips and tolls) applies to travel from Manhattan to JFK as well. Depending on the time of day, taxi travel from JFK to Midtown Manhattan can be as quick as 35 minutes. New York Taxis accommodate 4 passengers except vans which accommodate 5.
Zurich Airport (IATA: ZRH, ICAO: LSZH) also called Kloten Airport, is located in Kloten, canton of Zurich, Switzerland and managed by Unique Airport. It is Switzerland's largest international flight gateway and hub to Swiss International Air Lines. Skyguide is responsible for all Air Traffic Control for Zurich Intl.
In 2003, Zurich International completed a major expansion project in which it built a new parking garage, a new midfield terminal, and an automated underground train to move passengers between the existing terminal complex and the new terminal.
Zurich International lost traffic when Swissair shut down its operations. When Lufthansa took over its successor Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS), traffic grew again. Zurich airport railway station (Zurich Flughafen) is located underneath the terminal. There are trains to many parts of Switzerland; frequent S-Bahn services, plus direct Inter-regio and intercity services to Winterthur, Bern, Basel and Lucerne(Luzern). By changing trains at Zurich HB (Zurich main station) most other places in Switzerland can be reached in a few hours.
Zurich Airport handled 20.7 million passengers in 2007.