Heathrow Airport

Book excerpt: “A very nicely presented history of one of the greatest airports in the world, its challenges and its prospects . . . Highly Recommended.” —Firetrench Love it or loathe it, Heathrow is the United Kingdom’s largest and most important airport by a distance. It currently serves over 190 routes to more than 80 countries. Over £100 billion of imports and exports are handled every year, making it the UK’s primary port by value. This fascinating book traces the often controversial development of the airport over the last 70 years from the most humble of beginnings. Thanks to the author’s in-depth knowledge the arguments for and against the building of a third runway are thoroughly and objectively described. There have been, and indeed still are, those who advocate building a brand-new hub airport for London, but it is a fact that Heathrow has long been the cornerstone of the local economy, providing jobs for over 70,000 staff. This entertaining, controversial and superbly illustrated book is about much more than the bitter third runway battle. It contains many amusing anecdotes and a wealth of statistics that serve to make Heathrow such a key part of the country’s infrastructure. “The history of Heathrow Airport from the iron age to the present day . . . includes interviews with people who worked at Heathrow on its first day.” —Forwarder Magazine “A really interesting book. It is mostly text, but there are a good selection of historic photographs which haven’t been seen anywhere else, including many of the aircraft once seen at Heathrow.” —Airport Spotting