So Where’s the Competition?
More people used London’s airports in 2000 than used all the airports of its nearest ‘competitor’ Paris, in 2007
The supporters of Heathrow expansion assert that, unless the airport is allowed to expand, London will fall behind the rest of Europe as business will choose to locate to other cities with better air links. The actual statistics do not support such an assertion.
The Inconvenient Truth
- Heathrow is still the busiest airport in Europe
- Heathrow remains the busiest international airport in the world
Busiest Airports in the World
(all 2007, the last year for which full figures are available)
1. Atlanta89 million passengers
2. O’Hare (Chicago)77 million passengers
3. Heathrow68 million passengers
6. Charles de Gaulle60 million passengers
8. Frankfurt54 million passengers
10. Madrid52 million passengers
12. Schiphol (Amsterdam)47 million passengers
The rankings haven’t changed significantly since 2000:
1. 0’Hare80 million passengers
2. Atlanta72 million passengers
3. Los Angeles 66 million passengers
4. Heathrow64 million passengers
7. Frankfurt49 million passengers
8. Charles de Gaulle48 million passengers
10. Schiphol 39 million passengers
20.Madrid32 million passengers
Heathrow’s ‘lead’ is being reduced but there is nothing in these figures to back up the claim that, if Heathrow doesn’t expand, it will go into decline. None of the major airports are showing any sign of going into decline.
The HonestComparison
The exclusive focus on Heathrow misrepresents the picture.
The honest comparison is between the numbers of passengers using all London’s airports with the numbers using allthe airports of the so-called ‘competitor’ cities in Europe.
If that is done, a very different picture emerges:
In 2007, a combined total of 139 million passengers used Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and City airports
- that is more than any other city in the world
- more than the 88 million that used the threeParis airports
- twice as many as used Frankfurt’s two airports
Numbers of passengers using allLondon’s airports in 2007 and 2000:
Heathrow68 million2000: 64 million
Gatwick 35 million2000: 32 million
Stansted 23 million2000: 12 million
Luton10 million2000: 6 million
City 3 million2000: 1.6 million
Total 139 million 2000: 115.6 million
Number of passengers using all Paris’s airports in 2007 and 2000:
Charles de Gaulle60 million2000: 48 million
Orly26 million2000: 25 million
Beauvais 2 million 2000: not available
Total 88 million 2000: 74 million (approx)
Number of passengers using all Frankfurt’s airport in 2007 and 2000:
Frankfurt 54 million 2000: 49 million
Frankfurt Hahn 4 million 2000: not available
Total 64 million 2000: 51 million (approx)
Number of passengers using allAmsterdam’s airports in 2007 and 2000:
Schiphol 47 million 2000: 39 million
Total: 47 million 2000: 39 million
Conclusion
The fact is London has and, for the foreseeable future, will have the best air connections of any city on the world. Is it really credible to suggest that, if Heathrow or indeed any of London’s other airports didn’t expand, business would locate elsewhere in Europe to the detriment of the UK economy?
Published by HACAN:; 020 7737 6641;; January 2009