Departure
96%
vs 95% ▲ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
London Heathrow Airport (EGLL) is the principal international gateway to London and the busiest airport in Europe, sited on a large paved complex some 14 miles west of Central London. For the simulator pilot it offers one of the most complex and rewarding airspace environments to fly into, with parallel east-west runways, a dense multi-frequency ATC structure and a rich post-war history.
Heathrow lies in the London Borough of Hillingdon and serves as the primary hub for British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. It began life as a small airfield in 1930 and was transformed into today's major international airport after the Second World War. For a flight simulation pilot it represents one of the most demanding and rewarding destinations in the United Kingdom, combining a busy Class A terminal environment, continuous heavy jet traffic and two long parallel runways with full ILS coverage on every direction.
Heathrow sits within the London Terminal Manoeuvring Area and is surrounded by controlled airspace befitting the busiest airport in Europe. It lies about 14 miles (23 km) west of Central London. Arriving aircraft are normally worked into one of four holding points before being sequenced by Heathrow Approach Control (based at Swanwick) onto final approach, with aircraft merged into a single stream sometimes as close as 2.5 nautical miles apart.
Heathrow has two parallel east-west asphalt runways, each fitted with lighting and ILS on both directions. The northern runway, 09L/27R, is 11792 ft as 09L and 12782 ft as 27R. The southern runway, 09R/27L, is 10986 ft as 09R and 11983 ft as 27L. All four runway directions are hard-surfaced, lit and equipped with ILS, making Heathrow suitable for precision approaches in any weather.
Heathrow provides a full range of ATC services across numerous discrete frequencies. ATIS is broadcast on 113.75 MHz, with separate arrival and departure ATIS on 115.1 MHz and 121.935 MHz respectively, plus a further ATIS frequency on 128.075 MHz. Clearance Delivery operates on 121.975 MHz. Heathrow Director works on 119.725 MHz, 120.4 MHz, 127.525 MHz and 134.975 MHz. Ground movements are handled on 121.7 MHz, 121.85 MHz and 121.9 MHz, while Heathrow Tower operates on 118.5 MHz, 118.7 MHz and 124.475 MHz. The field is fully equipped with ILS on all four runway directions.
Aircraft inbound to Heathrow are typically routed to one of four holding points before being guided by Heathrow Director onto final approach, with continuous descent approach techniques used to minimise environmental impact. Given the volume of commercial traffic and the Class A airspace, Heathrow is not a field for casual VFR circuit flying, and pilots should expect to be sequenced tightly into a continuous stream of arriving jet traffic.
Heathrow was founded as a small airfield in 1930 and opened as London Airport on 25 March 1946, having been developed substantially during and after the Second World War. It was renamed Heathrow Airport in the last week of September 1966 to avoid confusion with London's other airports, Gatwick and Stansted. In the 1950s the airport had six runways arranged in three intersecting pairs in a hexagram pattern around a central terminal area designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd, with two runways always within 30 degrees of the wind direction. As aircraft grew larger and required longer runways, Heathrow was reduced to the two parallel east-west runways in use today, which are extended versions of two of the original hexagram runways; the outlines of the old runways can still be traced in the present taxiway system. A well-known unofficial gate guardian, formerly a 40 percent scale model of a British Airways Concorde, has stood north of the northern runway since being replaced by an Emirates Airbus A380 model in 2008.
Heathrow remains the primary hub for British Airways and Virgin Atlantic and is used by more than 89 airlines flying to over 200 destinations worldwide, handling the busiest passenger traffic of any European airport. It has four operational passenger terminals, numbered 2 to 5, and a dedicated cargo terminal. The airport handles over a million tonnes of cargo annually, with the United States, China and the United Arab Emirates among its top export destinations. As a major Class A commercial airport, Heathrow requires prior permission for any non-scheduled or general aviation movement.
