London - the city of lights is one of the most visited cities of the world. People from all over the world visit the city for leisure, business as well as for educational purposes. As per a recent report around 31.1 million overseas visitors visited the UK last year. Such a large number of visitors is bound to put a stress on the city’s infrastructure be it accommodation or transport. But trust London to meet all its tourist requirements with aplomb. The city of London has around 6 international airports plus several small ones to meet the demands of its domestic and international visitors making its airports one of the busiest ones in the world.
London Famous City Airports
Heathrow Airport
Reportedly to be the third busiest airports in the world in terms of passenger traffic, Heathrow located some 20miles west of central London is the city’s main airport. It has 5 terminals and 2 runways with the proposed third runway being scrapped due to absence of space. The airport serves as a base for the British Airways and connects almost all the major cities of the world –roughly around 170 destinations.
Being London’s main airport, Heathrow is well connected to the rest of the city by the London underground via the Piccadilly line; through rail –both Heathrow Connect and Express run a number of trains between Heathrow and Paddington and by road namely the the M4 and M25 motorways. Therefore, if you are coming from Heathrow then a furnished serviced apartment in Piccadilly, Paddington or in any of the nearby areas is best for you.
Gatwick Airport
Located 30miles south of Central London in West Sussex is London Gatwick, the city’s second busiest airport and the busiest single runway airport in the world. The airport serves mostly Europe and the Caribbean and is the base for most low cost carriers. It is connected to the rest of the city by the M23; has its own railway station- the Gatwick Express & Southern serving Victoria station in Central London and First Capital Connect connecting the airport with London Bridge, City Thameslink, Farringdon and St Pancras International. Apart from the railways and the coach; there is the Easybus route EB4 that operates to and from Earls Court/West Brompton.
Stansted Airport
Located in Uttlesford in Essex, some 35 miles north east of central London is Stansted airport. The fourth busiest airport of the UK, it serves as a base for low cost carriers and connects most European destinations. If you stay in a holiday apartment in Liverpool Street you can take the Stansted Express to reach the airport or if in Docklands and East London the National Express East Anglia.
Luton Airport
Located in Bedfordshire, Luton, at 30 miles north of London serves as a base for low cost airlines like Easy Jet, Monarch, Thomson Airways and Ryan air in addition to some charter and scheduled flights from Northern Africa and Asia
The Luton Airport Parkway on the Midland Main Line connects the airport to London St Pancras station as does the First Capital Connect ply’s through London Bridge, Farringdon, London City Thameslink and Blackfriars stations and connects the areas of Bedford, St Albans, London, Wimbledon, Sutton and Brighton. As opposed to these the East Midlands Trains caters to the areas of Bedford, Wellingborough, Kettering, Corby, Market Harborough, Leicester, Loughborough, Beeston and Nottingham. A boon for those stating in holiday rentals located in these neighbourhoods. Alternately one can also opt for the Easybus EB7 that connects the airport with Baker Street.
London City Airport
The London city Airport located in the London Borough of Newham is some 7 miles east of the city. The airport is generally favoured by businessmen and corporate who come down to the city largely for business purposes and stay in the various short term lets located in the Canary Wharf region . The best way to reach the airport is to take DLR that offers interchanges with London Underground, London Overground and South eastern trains thereby connecting the airport with the rest of the city.
London Southend Airport
Also located in Essex at some 36 miles east of central London is the London Southend airport. The airport has a single runway on a south-west / north-east axis and is connected to Liverpool Street and Stratford station by the South end Airport railway station. Cars are also available for hire.
