Watch the World’s Busiest Airport System in Action
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
More than 736,000 planes traversed UK airspace between the months of June and August this summer, according to NATS, which manages air traffic control for the United Kingdom. In 2018, the London metropolitan airport system handled 5,683 more flights than 2017’s previous record, marking the region’s sixth year of consecutive growth.
Alongside the data, NATS released a mesmerizing video depicting 24 hours of aircraft movements above London to illustrate how busy the airspace has become.
“It has been an incredibly busy summer and our teams have done a fantastic job safely managing what have been unprecedented levels of air traffic,” NATS operation director Juliet Kennedy told The Telegraph. “It’s been particularly pleasing to have done so without seeing the severity of capacity issues that have existed elsewhere in Europe.”
London is the world’s busiest city airport system with six commercial airports within its metropolitan area: Heathrow (LHR), Gatwick (LGW), Stansted (STN), Luton (LTN), City (LCY) and Southend (SEN). Heathrow and Gatwick obviously are the best known of the six, respectively processing 78 million and 43 million passengers in 2017. NATS stated that London handled a quarter of all of Europe’s air traffic this summer, which encompasses departing and arriving UK flights as well as aircraft simply passing through UK airspace en route to and from North America.
However, Ryanair and other budget carriers have significantly increased the number of routes that operate out of Stansted and Luton, greatly contributing to the congestion in the airspace and pushing London’s skies to capacity. Luton and Stansted alone have increased air traffic by 30% during the last four years.
Delays will become increasingly common for UK travelers unless the British government significantly upgrades London’s aviation infrastructure. As far back as 2016, NATS predicted that delays at London airports could rise from 90,000 cumulative minutes a year to four million cumulative delayed minutes by 2030.
Earlier this September, Ryanair accused NATS of “clear discrimination” against the Stansted-based carrier, alleging preferential treatment for flights departing out of Heathrow and Gatwick. However, NATS disagreed, stating that “Ryanair performance this summer cannot be blamed on UK air traffic control.
Featured photo by NATS.
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases within the first three months of card membership. Plus, earn a $200 statement credit after your first Delta purchase within the first three months. Offer ends 7/28/21.
With Status Boost™, earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, up to two times per year getting you closer to Medallion Status. Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply.
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles after spending $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months and a $200 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase with your new Card within your first 3 months. Offer expires 7/28/2021.
- Limited Time Offer: Plus, get a 0% intro APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable 15.74%-24.74%. Offer expires 7/28/2021.
- Accelerate your path to Medallion Status, with Status Boost®. Plus, in 2021 you can earn even more bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) to help you reach Medallion Status.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. *Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $75 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®.
- Enjoy an exclusive rate of $39 per person per visit to enter the Delta Sky Club® for you and up to two guests when traveling on a Delta flight.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.