Why Does London Have 6 Airports
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the unique situation of London, which boasts an unprecedented six commercial airports, a phenomenon unmatched by any other city globally. Historically, these airports evolved from WWII Air Force bases, with Heathrow and Gatwick initially serving as London's main hubs. As air travel surged, additional airports like Stansted and Luton were developed to alleviate congestion. Despite challenges in expanding existing airports due to space constraints and residential areas, London's airports continue to serve diverse travel needs, from budget airlines to business travel. The video also discusses the complexities of building new airports in London and the city's potential future air travel solutions.
Takeaways
- 🌐 Big cities like Chicago, Beijing, and Paris have dual airport systems, with one airport focusing on longer and international routes and the other on shorter and domestic routes.
- 🏙 London stands out with an exceptional six commercial airports, more than any other city in the world, due to historical development and space constraints.
- 🛫 London's airports include Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, London City, and Southend, with four of them located outside the city but still serving London's air traffic.
- 🕰 The foundation of London's multiple airports dates back to World War II, when many airbases were transformed into commercial airports after the war due to the growing demand for air travel.
- 🛠️ Expansion limitations of Heathrow and Gatwick, surrounded by residential and industrial areas, led to the development of additional airports like Stansted to handle the increasing air traffic.
- 🌟 London City Airport was built on an old dock with a runway-shaped space close to the city center, focusing on business travelers and relieving passenger rush at other airports.
- 🎯 Luton and Southend airports were rebranded and developed to include 'London' in their names to better serve as London's airports, increasing their capacity to handle flights.
- 📈 Today, Heathrow and Gatwick remain the largest airports with a combined 1100 flights daily, while Stansted and Luton serve as hubs for budget airlines with about 450 flights daily.
- 💡 The script also includes a promotional message for the game 'War Thunder', offering a massive Bonus Pack for new and returning players, highlighting the game's comprehensive vehicle combat experience.
- 🚧 The challenges of building a new large-scale airport in London include finding suitable land, Green Belt restrictions, protests, financial issues, and political challenges.
- 🤔 The future of London's airport capacity raises questions about whether the city will face the challenges to build a new airport or expand existing ones to meet the demand.
Q & A
Why do some major cities have a dual airport system?
-Major cities often have a dual airport system to distribute air traffic efficiently. One airport typically handles longer and international routes, while the other manages shorter and domestic routes.
How many commercial airports does London have and what makes its airport system unique?
-London has an unprecedented six commercial airports, which is the highest number for any city in the world. Unlike other cities, which usually have two or three airports at most, London's system is a result of historical development and the transformation of former Air Force bases.
What is the significance of space issues in the placement of airports?
-Space issues are crucial in deciding where to place airports, especially in big cities. Airports sometimes need to be located outside city limits due to a lack of available space, which is a common practice among large urban areas.
Why did London start transforming Air Force bases into commercial airports after World War II?
-After World War II, the Air Force bases around London were no longer needed for military purposes. With the rise of commercial air travel, these bases were repurposed into commercial airports to accommodate the growing demand for air transport.
What factors led to the creation of a third airport in London during the 1960s?
-The 1960s saw a boom in air traffic, and officials realized that Heathrow and Gatwick were too small and surrounded by residential or industrial areas, limiting their expansion capabilities. This led to the decision to build a third airport, Stansted, to serve the Northeast region of London and alleviate traffic at the existing airports.
Why did London's airports end up being so numerous compared to other cities?
-London's numerous airports are a result of historical circumstances and the city's piecemeal approach to airport development. Unlike other cities that built airports with future expansion in mind, London's airports were conversions of existing Air Force bases, which were small and limited in number, necessitating the creation of additional airports.
How does the number of runways in London's airports compare to other major cities?
-The combined number of runways across all six of London's airports is eight. In contrast, Houston's two airports have a total of seven runways, and Chicago's O'Hare Airport alone has eight runways, illustrating the unique situation of London's airport infrastructure.
What was the rationale behind developing London Luton Airport as a London airport?
-London Luton Airport was rebranded and developed to relieve the passenger rush from Heathrow and Gatwick, focusing on business travelers due to its proximity to the financial district of London.
What is the current status of London's airports in terms of operation and capacity?
-Heathrow and Gatwick remain the largest airports, serving a total of 1100 flights daily, with Heathrow running at full capacity. Stansted and Luton have become hubs for budget airlines, while London City Airport caters to business travel, and London Southend Airport operates a limited number of routes.
What challenges does London face in considering the construction of a new airport or the expansion of existing ones?
-Building a new airport in London is fraught with challenges, including finding a large enough area, navigating Green Belt designations that protect undeveloped areas from development, and overcoming protests, financial issues, and political challenges.
What is the future outlook for London's airport system, and what decisions might the city face?
-The future of London's airport system is uncertain. The city may need to decide between overcoming significant challenges to build a new airport or finding ways to expand existing airports to accommodate the growing demand for air travel.
Outlines
🌏 Global Airport Systems and London's Unique Case
The script discusses the common dual-airport system in major cities worldwide, where one airport handles longer international routes and the other focuses on shorter domestic flights. However, London stands out with an exceptional six commercial airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, and others. The explanation delves into the historical reasons behind this, starting from the World War II era when many airbases were transformed into commercial airports. The script also introduces an unrelated video game, War Thunder, which is a comprehensive vehicle combat game with various modes and a special offer for new and returning players.
🛫 The Evolution of London's Airports and Their Unique Challenges
This paragraph explores why London has more airports than other cities of similar size. It explains that London's airports were originally airbases and lacked space for expansion, leading to the construction of additional airports. The narrative contrasts this with cities like Paris, which planned for growth by building larger airports with room for expansion. The script also mentions the development of London Luton and London Southend airports, which were rebranded and expanded to serve London's increasing air traffic demands. It concludes with the current situation where London's airports are operating near capacity and raises questions about future expansion challenges.
✈️ London's Airport Future and War Thunder Sponsorship Acknowledgement
The final paragraph speculates on London's potential strategies for addressing the limitations of its current airport infrastructure, suggesting the possibility of building a new airport or expanding existing ones. It acknowledges the numerous challenges, including finding suitable land, navigating Green Belt restrictions, and overcoming protests and political hurdles. The script concludes by thanking War Thunder for sponsoring the video and encourages viewers to try the game, highlighting a special bonus for new and returning players.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Dual Airport System
💡London Airports
💡Heathrow
💡Gatwick
💡Stansted Airport
💡London City Airport
💡Luton Airport
💡Southend Airport
💡World War II
💡Green Belt
💡Budget Airlines
Highlights
Major cities like Chicago, Beijing, and Paris have dual airport systems, with one airport focusing on longer and international routes and the other on shorter and domestic routes.
London stands out with an unprecedented six commercial airports, more than any other city in the world.
Four of London's airports are located outside the city, but still serve London's air traffic needs.
Airports are sometimes placed outside cities due to space issues, a common occurrence in large metropolitan areas.
London's high number of airports is unusual, as most cities operate with a maximum of two or three airports.
London's multiple airports originated from World War II Air Force bases that were later repurposed for commercial air travel.
Heathrow was the first airport transformed from an Air Force base post-World War II.
Gatwick was the second airport developed to support Heathrow's traffic.
In the 1960s, air traffic growth led to the transformation of another base into Stansted Airport.
London's need for a third airport was due to the limitations of expanding Heathrow and Gatwick, surrounded by residential and industrial areas.
Most cities, including Paris, opted for expansion of existing airports rather than building new ones.
London's airport development was influenced by the availability of Air Force bases rather than strategic planning for commercial aviation.
London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports now operate at or near full capacity, serving over 1100 flights daily.
Stansted and Luton have become hubs for budget airlines, with a combined 450 flights a day.
London City Airport caters to business travelers, while Southend serves very few routes with limited airline operations.
The challenge of building a new large-scale airport in London is due to difficulty finding suitable land, Green Belt restrictions, and various political and financial hurdles.
London's future with its six airports may involve overcoming significant obstacles to expand or build new airport infrastructure.
War Thunder, a comprehensive vehicle combat game, sponsored the video and offers a massive Bonus Pack for new and returning players.
Transcripts
with the growth of air travel over the
years a lot of big cities around the
world have developed a dual Airport
System Chicago Beijing and Paris all
have two commercial airports to
distribute air traffic in all of these
cities one airport is bigger and more
focused on longer and international
routes while the other is for shorter
and domestic routes the same system is
followed by almost all major cities in
the world including Shanghai Istanbul
and Houston but when it comes to London
it is a completely different story with
an unbelievable six airports London has
the highest number of commercial
airports out of any city in the world
these airports are herro Gatwick luden
stanstead London city and south end now
it's important to mention that out of
the six airports four are outside of
London city and they're not just outside
of the city they're also pretty far but
that doesn't mean that they are not
London's airport that's because
sometimes airports need to be placed
outside of cities because of space
issues and it's pretty common among big
cities the main thing to consider is
that these airports are still serving
the people coming and going to London
which makes them London airports even if
they are out of the city with that being
cleared the number of airports that
serve London is very unusual and that's
because there has never been enough
demand in any city in the the world to
go beyond two or three airports at
Max China for example has more than five
cities that are bigger than London yet
none of them have more than two
commercial airports even the biggest
city in the world Tokyo with a
population three times larger than
London has two commercial airports so
why does London have six airports when
clearly two airports would do the
job well London has had all these
airports for a very long time and it is
because of a lot of factors but it all
started in World War II talking about
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it now getting back to the video in the
second world war all the airports in and
around London were used as Air Force
bases and there weren't just six Air
Force bases but several more some of
these bases were airfields and aerod
drones before being transformed into Air
Force bases for the war and the others
were built as Air Force
bases after the world war ended these
Air Force bases weren't much use and
commercial air travel was becoming a
promising transport option so London
started transforming these bases into
commercial
airports the first airport they
transformed after the war was built to
be London's main airport now known as
Heathrow then a couple of years later
the city decided to build another
airport to support traffic at Heathrow
and they transformed another Air Force
Base into Gatwick International
Airport after a few years in the' 60s
air traffic saw a boom and the city
officials realized that two airports
wouldn't be enough and they would need
another airport so they decided to
transform another base this time in the
north to stanstead airport but to build
a third airport for a single city is not
something that you saw back then even
even today most cities can operate on
two airports so how come London needed a
third airport 60 years ago well that's
because both Heathrow and Gatwick were
small airports and they couldn't be
expanded because both of them were
surrounded by residential or industrial
areas and anticipating the growth in air
travel the officials thought building a
new airport would be a good choice
because it would serve the Northeast
region of London and also reduce traffic
at Heathrow and Gatwick but while London
had to build a third airport most
similar sized cities didn't have to go
that route for example when Paris built
their second airport they started with
two runways and left plenty of space for
future expansion and as air travel grew
They just added new terminals and
runways that was possible because they
specifically chose a place like this to
build the airport but in the case of
London the airports were built only
where there was an Airbase before
and that's exactly the reason why London
ended up having so many airports they
just didn't plan to build an airport
from the ground up and kept transforming
airbases which were pretty small so they
had to build more and more if they had
properly planned out an airport after
building Heathrow with enough space to
accommodate five or six runways then
London probably wouldn't have this many
airports if you look at London right now
the combined number of runways they have
is eight including all six
airports comparing this to America
Houston's two airports have combined
seven runways and Chicago's O'Hare
Airport has eight runways alone so
statistically London needed a massive
airport but Heathrow and Gatwick were
built so early in the aviation age that
they couldn't possibly anticipate how
big air travel would become this
situation didn't occur with most cities
around the world probably because they
built their airports later in time or
they had the option to expand but Moscow
shared some similar problems as
London when the Moscow region was
rapidly developing each time the city
needed a significant increase in air
traffic it had to build a new airport as
the old ones were surrounded by Lands
being used for some purpose this led to
Moscow ending up with four commercial
airports the only difference with London
is that they had several Air Force bases
with builtup runways so they chose a new
base each time rather than building a
new one however this trend came to an
end after stanstead because after
stanstead they built a new airport in
the city from the ground up this airport
was an opportunity because there was
this empty space on an old dock that was
conveniently Runway shaped and very
close to the city
center the airport's location being
close to the to the financial district
of London meant that it could focus
specifically on business Travelers but
that was not the only reason they also
wanted to relieve the passenger Rush
from Heathrow and gwick as much as they
could that's why they added London to
the name of luten airport in the
9s before the 9s luten airport wasn't
even considered one of London's airports
not because it didn't have a London in
its name but because it was simply built
for a different region Len airport was
never meant for London only Heathrow
Gatwick City airport and stanstead Were
Meant to serve London but because all
these airports were getting pretty busy
they had to develop Luton as London's
airport for that they rebranded the
airport with London in its name and
developed the airport itself with a new
terminal so it could handle more
flights they did the same thing with the
Southend airport in the late 2000s when
they changed its name to London Southend
airport and built a new
terminal they also added London in front
of staned airport but it didn't change
much passenger volume because staned was
already serving London and was a
developed airport they added the name
just to make it a London Airport
officially this ended the complicated
development of all six airports serving
London today hro and Gatwick are still
the biggest airports both serving a
total of 1100 flights daily Heathrow is
running at full capacity and Gatwick is
not far
either staned and Luton have become hubs
for Budget Airlines with a combined
total of about 450 flights a day the
City Airport sees a mix of Airlines
mostly for business travel and South End
serves very few routes with only one
Airline operating passenger routes now
one question that comes into a lot of
people's minds is why doesn't London
build a bigger airport and close some
other ones
well that's because in today's time it's
almost impossible to build an airport on
a large scale anywhere around London
first it is very hard to find an area
that big and second areas that are not
built are usually protected from any
development by Green Belt
designation then there are protests
money issues political challenges all of
which make it extremely hard to make an
airport the interesting question is what
will London do when they max out with
these airports will they go through the
challenges to build a new one or will
they try and expand one of the current
airports I guess we'll have to wait a
while to see what
happens once again shout out to War
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