London's airports

A guide to the capital's six airports

London remains the world's busiest airport system, with its main airports together handling around 180 million passengers a year. It's served by six key airports: London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Stansted, London Luton, London City, and London Southend.

London Heathrow Airport (LHR)

Heathrow closed 2025 as its strongest year on record, welcoming more than 85 million passengers — the first time it has passed that mark. It's Europe's busiest airport and the fifth busiest in the world by passenger traffic, and remains the main hub for British Airways. Located about 20 miles west of central London, the drive into town typically takes 30–45 minutes. The airport now operates four terminals serving over 200 destinations — Terminal 1 has since closed, and Terminal 2 (the "Queen's Terminal") is the exclusive London base for Star Alliance airlines.

Getting there

Underground, rail, coach, car hire, taxi and private hire

Website

heathrowairport.com

London Gatwick Airport (LGW)

Still the UK's second-busiest airport and the world's busiest single-runway airport, Gatwick handled around 43 million passengers in 2025, with 57 airlines serving 227 destinations. The North Terminal is easyJet's main base, while the South Terminal serves British Airways, Ryanair, and Jet2. Gatwick sits roughly 30 miles south of central London. A Northern Runway project, approved in September 2025, will eventually allow dual-runway operations.

Getting there

Rail, coach, car hire, taxi and private hire

Website

gatwickairport.com

London Stansted Airport (STN)

London's third-busiest airport passed a major milestone in 2025, handling over 30 million passengers in a 12-month period for the first time. It's a key base for Ryanair, Jet2, and British Airways, and operates from a single terminal about 40 miles north-east of London. The airport has planning permission to grow to 51 million passengers a year.

Getting there

Rail, coach, car hire, taxi and private hire

Website

stanstedairport.com

London Luton Airport (LTN)

Luton ended 2025 with more than 17.5 million passengers and its highest-ever customer satisfaction scores. It's a base for easyJet, Wizz Air, Ryanair, and — new for 2025 — Jet2. Government approval was granted in 2025 to more than double Luton's capacity to 32 million passengers a year. It's located about 35 miles north of London.

Getting there

Rail, coach, car hire, taxi and private hire

Website

london-luton.co.uk

London City Airport (LCY)

The only airport actually within London, City Airport handled around 3.5 million passengers in 2024, making it the smallest of the main five. It remains the operating base for BA CityFlyer, with other carriers including KLM, Lufthansa, SWISS, ITA Airways, and Loganair. The route network is European business and leisure destinations plus a handful of UK routes — there's currently no long-haul service. It's just a few miles from ExCeL London, Canary Wharf, and the City of London.

Getting there

Rail (DLR), coach, car hire, taxi and private hire

Website

londoncityairport.com

London Southend Airport (SEN)

The newest addition to London's airport line-up in growth terms, Southend had its busiest year since 2019 in 2025, with around 720,000 passengers — a 150% jump on 2024, making it the UK's fastest-growing airport. That surge followed easyJet opening a three-aircraft base there in April 2025, and the airport now offers around 25 routes, with Palma, Malaga, Amsterdam, Alicante, and Paris its most popular. It's located about 40 miles north-east of London, in Essex, with a direct rail link to London Liverpool Street in around 52 minutes.

Getting there

Rail, coach, car hire, taxi and private hire

Website

londonsouthendairport.com

A note on safety

At all London airports, avoid anyone offering unofficial "taxi" services inside the terminal — these drivers are often unlicensed, uninsured, and operating illegally. Book through official taxi ranks or pre-arranged transfers instead.