London is serviced by 5 major airports, simply because of the huge number of tourists that visit the capital each year. Each of these airports offers good links to the city centre; a fact that makes them popular destinations for visitors and commuters alike.
Heathrow Airport – The majority of visitors to the UK fly into one of Heathrow’s 5 terminals. The airport accommodates 90 individual airlines that fly in from over 170 major airports worldwide; making it is busiest for international travelers. Traveling into the city from Heathrow is quick and simple with the London Underground being on site. The journey is just short of 22km, it takes approximately 50 minutes and costs around $6.
Gatwick Airport – Gatwick is located slightly further from the centre of London (45km) however the transport network into the city is very good. If traveling by bus the journey can take up to 90 minutes, depending on the time of day and traffic conditions. Alternatively Gatwick trains run regularly into London Victoria. Gatwick is smaller than Heathrow and is better known for its charter and discount flights.
Stansted Airport – Although not as big as the major airports Stansted caters for a range of budget airlines, a fact that makes it a popular choice for tourists. The airport is located nearly 50km NE of London’s centre but the variety of transport links make commuting easy. Terravision, Stansted Bus and easyBus are reliable methods of travel into London with Marble Arch, Baker Street and Victoria Station being popular destinations.
Luton Airport – Luton Airport is actually located in the county of Bedfordshire, approximately 55km north of London’s centre. Being a small, single runway airport it is commonly used by commuters traveling to destinations in Europe and for visitors arriving on budget airlines. There are bus services that run into London 24 hours per day, the most popular of which are easyBus and Green Line.
London City Airport – Although this small inner-city airport only offers a single runway it is highly popular with business travelers destined for the financial district of London. Located close to Canary Wharf the London City Airport is just 11km from the city centre and is well connected via the Docklands Light Railway and a plethora of bus services. It is worth mentioning that planes landing here must be able to perform short take-offs and equally short landings.
International airports outside London include Birmingham and Manchester, both of which offer an alternative to the airports of London. Birmingham airport is central to the UK while Manchester is located in the north. Both have outstanding transport links to all the major cities of the UK, including of course London.
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