London’s Heathrow Airport hosted a staggering 48.2 million travelers, only between the months of January and August 2013, and it continues to be the busiest airport in Britain. Heathrow witnessed a surge in traffic in 2013, translated to more than 3% compared to 2012, serving almost 191,200 passengers daily, quotes Airport-technology.com. This airport is owned by the British Airports Authority (BAA), which also owns six other major airports in the country.
Following this, other busy airfields include Gatwick at second, followed by Newcastle Airport and Liverpool John Lennon Airport. If you happen to fly into these docks, be sure to check out hotels near Gatwick Airport like The Holiday Inn Express Gatwick Crawley, among others.
London Heathrow Airport
Opened in 1946 as London Airport, it spreads over an area of 1,227 hectares, which houses two huge runways and five terminals. Also, the famous Air Traffic Control Tower which is 87 meters tall is the tallest in the world. Over 80 airlines operate here, connecting passengers to 184 destinations in more than 80 countries.
London Gatwick Airport
It was crowned the second busiest airport in England in 2013, handling over 24 million passengers in a year approximately. Like Heathrow, it was also under the BAA, however, ownership was transferred to Global Infrastructure Partners in 2009.
Over 40 airlines connect passengers to 197 international destinations and 12 domestic destinations in more than 90 countries. And because of its larger destination base, you can find some of the best hotels near Gatwick Airport.
Manchester Airport
Located within a drive of 20 minutes from central Manchester, it acts as the international gateway to the north of Britain and thus is the largest regional airfield in the country. It is the third busiest airport in England and handled close to 14 million passengers during the larger part of 2013. It is owned and operated by the Manchester Airports Group, which serves close to 100 airlines, connecting 225 destinations the world over. It houses three passenger terminals and one international freight terminal, which is the major air tier for commodities.
London Stansted Airport
The airport catered to over 12 million passengers in the greater half of 2013, earning fourth place in terms of traffic. Just like Manchester, the owners moved to Manchester Airports Group in January 2013. Today it serves 12 airlines connecting over 150 destinations in 30 countries. Due to the lower destination base, international passengers prefer to land at Gatwick Airport, thus budget hotels near Gatwick Airport continue to remain fully booked during the year, and usually required pre-booking.
London Luton Airport
Fifth in rank, it is located at a distance of 32 kilometers from the northern fringes of London. The Luton Borough Council operates and owns it, serving a variety of carriers which include EasyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air, El Al, Blue Air Thomson, Monarch Scheduled, Flybe, First Choice Sun D’Or, and Monarch; connecting passengers to 90 destinations, which is majorly domestic. It has two passenger terminals and one cargo terminal that is majorly used for domestic carriage.
