Heathrow Airport; Consistent Development Throughout The Century
Author: Thomas Pretty Date posted: Mar 12, 2009 Article views: 110 Wordcount: 562 Re-Publish
Heathrow airport, as with so many of the airports within the UK started life as a military base. During the First World War it was extensively used for the training of pilots and the development of future aircraft. Heathrow also carried out the same task during the Second World War.
Despite this military heritage, operational sorties were rarely, if ever flown from Heathrow meaning that no honours were assigned to the site during the post war years. Heathrow, however benefitted in other ways from the two world wars. Due to the expansive testing activities and the need for facilities, Heathrow airport was the ideal option for government planners who were looking to build a modern airport to service the capital.
The familiar star shaped layout of Heathrow airport is a hallmark of early airports due to the fact that aircraft needed prevailing winds to take off and land. In the modern age however this layout has caused problems for planners as the space for car hire depots and car parks is extremely limited.
In fact, early planners did not even take into account car hire and car parks when they built the site, the belief being that as air travel was the reserve of the rich and famous the majority of passengers would be arriving in limousines.
Despite the early problems and the restrictions on developable space Heathrow has managed to grow sufficiently to be the largest and busiest airport in the UK. Filled with the usual shops, restaurants and car hire desks the site is now the epitome of a modern airport, with travellers from all over the world choosing it as a gateway to England and the UK. Recent reports estimate that over seventy million passengers use the site annually, making Heathrow one of the busiest airports anywhere in the world.
The introduction of car hire facilities and shopping provisions during the eighties was a reaction to privatisation of the airports in the UK. Fundamentally, if an airport can fill space with shops, restaurants and car hire desks they can charge high rents and hence make revenues in addition to those secured from air carriers.
Once the M25 motorway, London's ring road was created the security of Heathrow as the country's busiest and largest airport was secured. It means that those using car hire services, or driving privately can reach almost anywhere in the country quickly and easily. It has almost meant that London is even easier to reach from the airport.
Heathrow has not just catered for drivers however in its planning; it has a number of underground stops that link in directly with the London Underground as well as an over ground railway stations and a coach terminal. The result is no matter how you plan to reach the airport, it is made as simple and stress free as possible.
Thanks to the revenues generated by car hire firms, shops and retailers Heathrow has been able to expand, almost continually since the nineteen fifties. The latest addition to the site was Terminal 5. This terminal houses the majority of British Airways flights from the airport and understandably contains the usual shops, restaurants and car hire desks.
Heathrow has evolved from a small military airport to one of the leading airports anywhere in the world. It truly can be considered the pride of the UK air transportation network.
Travel expert Thomas Pretty looks at how car hire Heathrow airport services have been important in the site's development.
