The site on which Heathrow stands was first developed in 1930 as an aircraft test site with a single grass runway.
- It was requisitioned by the government during World War II, who planned to build a military aerodrome near the village of Heath Row. However, the war ended before it was completed, and it was handed over to the Air Ministry in 1946.
- The airport was originally called London Airport, and was not renamed ‘Heathrow’ until 1966.
- The first flight to take off from Heathrow was to Buenos Aires.
- In the days when there were only two terminals, they were called ‘Europa’ and ‘Oceanic’, now known as Terminals 2 and 3 respectively.
- 70,000 people work at Heathrow, 4,500 of whom are employed by BAA
- The airport handles 67m passengers a year, making it the Europe’s busiest airport, and the world’s third busiest, after Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta and Beijing International.
- Together, Heathrow’s two runways stretch for 4.7 miles.
- The five most popular international destinations for passengers travelling from Heathrow are, in order: New York, Dublin, Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.
- In 2008/9, Heathrow landing fees were set at a maximum of £12.80 per passenger.