What is the longest airport in the UK?

Also called the London Airport, Heathrow Airport is the largest airport in the United Kingdom. The airport connects a number of destinations and makes it easier for passengers to travel all over. It is located at a distance of 23 km from London.



The airport with the longest active runway in the United Kingdom in 2026 is London Heathrow (LHR). Specifically, its Northern Runway (09L/27R) measures 3,902 meters (12,799 feet) in length. This immense high-value strip of asphalt is designed to accommodate the world's heaviest fully-loaded aircraft, such as the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 747-8, providing the necessary distance for safe takeoff at maximum weight. While some former military airfields like MoD Boscombe Down or RAF Brize Norton feature long runways (around 3,050 meters), Heathrow remains the premier commercial hub for "heavy" operations. For 2026 travelers, this long runway ensures that even the longest-haul flights to Australia or South America can depart with a full fuel load. In the context of "length" as in terminal size, Heathrow also holds the crown, with Terminal 5 being one of the largest and most high-tech airport structures in Europe.

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Heathrow Airport in London is the UK's largest and busiest airport as well as being the busiest airport in Europe and the seventh busiest in the world based on passenger traffic.

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Heathrow is larger and has better links in and out of the airport to Central London. Heathrow has five terminals and four runways. Meanwhile, Gatwick has two terminals and two runways. Heathrow is nearer to Central London.

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Luton is the largest airport in London after Stansted and also London's sixth international airport. Many well-known jet low-cost airlines like EasyJet, Monarch, Ryanair and Wizz airlines use Luton's airway for domestic and International journeys.

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Smaller airports include Exeter Airport, Newquay, Southampton, St Mary's Airport (Scilly Isles) Stornoway Airport and Cardiff Airport.

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Europe's largest airport in terms of passenger traffic is located in the UK. It is London Heathrow, with 80,884,310 visitors in 2019. It is also one of the largest intercontinental airports in the world, ranking 7th. In particular, Heathrow attracts the most international passengers annually in Europe.

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1. Heathrow (LHR) Heathrow Airport, London's main hub, is also one of the world's busiest airports, with 80.1 million passengers coming through in 2018. Spread across five terminals and just 14 miles west of central London, it's the easiest airport for getting into town.

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Kirkwall is the quietest airport in the UK. Loganair is the only airline to service this airstrip on the Orkney Islands regularly. Flights operate to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, and Sumburgh.

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There might be a main international airport and a smaller, domestic/regional-only airport. London is so big that it actually has six official airports. They are located in very different parts of the city, serve different purposes and largely offer flights to differing destinations.

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Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport remains the busiest airport in the world with 5.2 million seats in September 2023. The composition of the Global Top 10 Busiest Airports is also the same as last month but there are a few changes to the rankings.

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Today, Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) is known for being one of the world's largest mega hubs. In 2022, it was the second largest airport globally by passenger numbers, only behind Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson, and third in aircraft movements overall (behind Atlanta and Chicago O'Hare).

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There are over 40 airports around the UK, some of which top the list of the busiest airports in Europe. The map below shows a list of all major UK domestic and international airports.

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There are a total of 36 international airports in Germany, ranging from smaller airfields only operating a few routes and airlines, to mega complexes such as Frankfurt and Munich that transport tens of millions of passengers per year.

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Heathrow is London's (and the country's) main and busiest airport. Gatwick follows as the secondary and second busiest airport. Heathrow is larger and has better links in and out of the airport to Central London. Heathrow has five terminals and four runways.

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It is the only major London airport with significant runway capacity and offers a European route network which is unrivalled in the UK, providing London with more visitors from Europe than any other airport.

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The name Gatwick is said to derive from old English meaning (essentially) “Goat Farm”. The London & Brighton Railway opened on 12th July 1841 and ran close to the Gatwick Manor house. The Jordan family sold the land to the newly established Gatwick Race Course Company in 1890.

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Gatwick can be quicker to get to from London compared with Stansted. Where are you staying, one block off Holborn can mean anywhere in a large area. Gatwick is a much larger airport and maybe is more expensive to get to and further away. Security isn't really any different at either airport.

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London Croydon Airport was Britain's first major international airport. It played a major role in the development of global air travel after World War One and has a significant place in early 20th century British history.

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  • Liverpool John Lennon Airport has been rated the UK's best airport. ...
  • Survey respondents ranked airports based on eleven categories, including toilets and queues at check in.
  • London City Airport ranks second. ' ...
  • Southampton Airport is third in the ranking with a score of 77 per cent.


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However, one major U.S. airport is looking to change that as Arizona's Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) has dubbed itself America's Friendliest Airport.

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The most unreliable airlines in the United Kingdom easyJet received 10,494 complaints over a 12-month period and only managed to resolve 54% of them. The second most unreliable airline was another one with its headquarters at Luton Airport: TUI, the UK subsidiary of the German TUI Group.

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Also called the London Airport, Heathrow Airport is the largest airport in the United Kingdom. The airport connects a number of destinations and makes it easier for passengers to travel all over.

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