Posts Tagged ‘redhill’
History Of Croydon
History Of Croydon
Heathrow Airport; Enjoying A Position Of Primacy For Sixty Years
The UK’s largest and busiest airport is Heathrow and in terms of the world it is the third busiest globally. Being the UK’s premier airport Heathrow has more international passengers pass through it than any other airport in the world, it is a melting pot of cultures and nations who are all there for one reason; air travel. Its preferential position so close to the centre of London has helped in its development as servicing the capital is one the most important functions performed by Heathrow airport. Combine this with the employment provided by auxiliary services such as restaurants, shops and car hire desks and its influence is immense. But what was the involved in this airports meteoric rise?
Most airports in the UK began their life as a military airfield and Heathrow is no different. During the First World War it was a military airbase although rather than sorties it was predominantly used as a research and development centre. The nearby airfield of Croydon was where the majority of London’s civil air operations were conducted although after the war Croydon lost its primacy and Heathrow took its place. This shift in primacy was due to the fact that the Second World War saw heavy development at Heathrow making it a far more suitable airport for civilian travel; especially when the size of the newly developed planes is considered. After the war, the civilian use of the Heathrow site was reaffirmed.
The Queen was present at the laying of the first runways at Heathrow; this development was due to the widespread use of the jet plane and its encroachment into civilian spheres. The new runway meant further development of the terminal; once again this was ceremonially opened by the Queen. At this stage air travel was predominantly reserved for the rich and famous, so much so that the original designers of the Heathrow site expected all travellers to be chauffeur driven and hence no car parks were built. This was soon realised not to be the case and hence a large number of car parks were built to accommodate passenger vehicles and car hire provisions.
The seventies saw Heathrow install the world’s first powered walkways to reduce the stress of passengers; a device now widely used in all airports across the planet. As planes grew so did the airport to accommodate the largest of commercial flyers. At this time it was the Boeing 747 although today the site has made special preparations for the use of the gargantuan Airbus A380. While Gatwick can boast the first direct rail link to London, Heathrow eventually caught up and in 1977 built an extension that coupled straight onto the existing London Underground network. As well as the underground links, the site also has an overland route that leaves from Paddington Station regularly.
At this point in time Heathrow was secured as the largest airport in the UK; this primacy was increased in the eighties when the airport saw thirty million passing through a year. During this period the site also added a fourth terminal purely for the use of British Airways planes, a company that has always had a preferential arrangement with the airport’s management. The new terminal made the most of car hire provisions, shops, cafes and restaurants to extract further profits from the site.
Today nearly seventy million passengers use the airport on an annual basis. As a result of increased numbers a fifth terminal has been added. Development at the site is set to continue although other airports are being expanded to relieve some of the pressure on Heathrow, namely Stansted in Essex. As one of the world’s busiest airports in the world however it is doubtful that any airport in the UK will be able to match Heathrow’s size and capacity in the foreseeable future.
About the Author
Air travel expert Thomas Pretty looks into how car hire Heathrow Airport services have been influential in the site’s development.
Croydon History
Croydon History
Heathrow Airport; Always Accommodating The Largest Aircraft
In the UK, the largest and busiest airport is London’s Heathrow; even in the world it is considered to be the third busiest and in terms of international passengers, the busiest. Because of the numbers of international passengers travelling through, the site is a place where it is possible to see people of nearly every nationality in the world. Understandably companies have not missed the profit making opportunities of such a cultural melting pot, taking advantage by building shops, car hire desks, restaurants and cafes within the terminals.
As with the majority of airports in the UK, Heathrow can trace its first use to the military. Unlike many sites however, Heathrow was being used during the First World War as an airbase that predominantly tested new developments on a variety of aircraft. At this stage the majority of the civilian aviation needs of the capital were catered for at the Croydon site. Now Croydon is a small and unused airfield, during the twenties and thirties however it was one of, if not the, major UK airport. After the Second World War however Croydon lost its position of primacy, and instead the Heathrow site took the number one position. Heathrow was heavily developed during the war years and hence, once the conflict was over, was more suited to the large planes that had been developed.
Heathrow has always been at the forefront of catering for the largest civilian planes in existence. During the fifties the Queen laid the first slabs of the new runway, built to cater for the new jet planes that would so rapidly change the aviation industry. A new runway meant that a new terminal had to be built to accommodate larger passenger numbers. At this stage however most designers believed that air travel would be reserved for the wealthy, subsequently no provisions were made for car parking as it was believed that most passengers would be chauffeured to the airport. Today however it is different, car parks at Heathrow are massive and the large number of hire car companies proves that air travel is now the pursuit of the masses.
The seventies saw further development of Heathrow, once again the runways were extended to accommodate the huge Boeing 747s that were now traversing the world. In addition however the terminal was further developed with covered runways and docking legs in order for passengers to have a stress free transition from terminal to plane. Also during this period Heathrow improved its transport links to the centre of London. A station was built that connected directly to the London Underground while additionally an overhead rail link that pulls into Paddington Station was also built.
With the introduction of the new gargantuan Airbus A380, Heathrow has once again been at the forefront of accommodating the largest passenger planes. Part of this accommodation has meant an expansion of the terminals and docking ports. As well as this however, recently the site has seen a fifth terminal being added; this terminal will purely service the aircraft flying for British Airways. Naturally this new terminal will contain all of the shops, restaurants, and car hire desks that come as standard in the modern airport.
Current estimates place the average annual passenger numbers at around the seventy million mark. This is approximately double the number of any other airport in the UK. Understandably, the airports position of primacy is somewhat assured. However, the airport executives will have to remain up to date on aircraft developments in order to cater for the largest and most modern aircraft.
About the Author
Air travel expert Thomas Pretty looks into how car hire Heathrow airport services have been instrumental in the site’s development.
Tags: croydon history society, Croydon., fairfield halls croydon history, history, local, london, redhill, south croydon history | Posted under Croydon Articles | No Comments
