Heathrow Airport languishes in airport league table
April 8th 2011 10:15
Heathrow airport languishes in 99th place — below Calcutta, Moscow and Johannesburg — in a confidential international table that tells the aviation industry how passengers really feel.
Britain’s main gateway, which operates at the brink of its capacity, is way down in the rankings of the world’s 146 principal airports, with passengers bemoaning long security queues and poor “ambience”.
Reseachers have also unearthed scheduling data showing that it now takes 40 per cent longer to fly from Heathrow to Paris, despite more than 30 years of advances in aviation. The journey time — measured from departure gate to arrival gate — has increased from 57 minutes in 1979 to between 70 and 80 minutes last year, suggesting that congestion is needlessly delaying flights.
suggesting that congestion is needlessly delaying flights
Figures from Eurocontrol, the European air traffic regulator, show that Heathrow’s average delay per flight has quadrupled over the past decade. Between 1998 and 2009 the average delay rose from 3 to 12 minutes.
The numbers appear to confirm a widespread perception that the world’s busiest international airport is struggling to cope. Airline executives insist that congestion at Heathrow is a constant factor in delays, particularly when bad weather or other unexpected events strike.
Heathrow operates at 98 per cent capacity, handling 66 million passengers a year. This means that small problems can quickly escalate into a crisis, such as the cancellations and misery endured by passengers during the heavy snowfall before Christmas.
Poor facilities and ageing infrastructure have also contributed to below-average standards and long delays, airline bosses say.
The state of Britain’s airport infrastructure prompted 74 business leaders to write a letter to The Times yesterday decrying “blighted” airports that were “overstretched, congested and prone to disruption”. They claimed the Government’s lack of an aviation strategy threatened economic growth because it put a constraint on trade and tourism.
Philip Hammond, the Transport Secretary, responds with his own letter today, saying it is “nonsense” to claim the Government does not have an aviation strategy. He adds that it is “a mistake” to assume that building additional runways is necessary.
Boris Johnson said that capacity and the quality of London’s airports needed to improve. His spokesman said: “There is a heroic effort to sustain Heathrow but neither the capacity or passenger experience match our ambitions as a global city.” The London Mayor has proposed a super-hub in the Thames Estuary to replace Heathrow.
The airport quality data, known as ASQs, are compiled by the trade body Airports Council International and are rarely made public. The full breakdown shows that Heathrow has overtaken Paris, Madrid and Frankfurt after a period of investment. It also ranks higher than Gatwick or Stansted.
BAA, which owns Heathrow, has begun to improve the airport in recent years, and the new Terminal 5 and revamped Terminal 4, have improved passenger perceptions. But the airport still lags behind Amsterdam Schiphol and Dublin and it is way off the pace set by the new airports in Asia. The figures show that Singapore Changi, Seoul Incheon and Hong Kong International are the best in the world.
A spokesman for BAA said: “Heathrow has made significant progress over the past year improving our performance, particularly compared to other European hub airports. We are pleased with progress made on improving courtesy, service and reducing queue times across the airport. Clearly there is more that we can do and that is why we are investing £1 billion a year in the airport’s infrastructure.”
Britain’s main gateway, which operates at the brink of its capacity, is way down in the rankings of the world’s 146 principal airports, with passengers bemoaning long security queues and poor “ambience”.
Reseachers have also unearthed scheduling data showing that it now takes 40 per cent longer to fly from Heathrow to Paris, despite more than 30 years of advances in aviation. The journey time — measured from departure gate to arrival gate — has increased from 57 minutes in 1979 to between 70 and 80 minutes last year, suggesting that congestion is needlessly delaying flights.
suggesting that congestion is needlessly delaying flights
Figures from Eurocontrol, the European air traffic regulator, show that Heathrow’s average delay per flight has quadrupled over the past decade. Between 1998 and 2009 the average delay rose from 3 to 12 minutes.
The numbers appear to confirm a widespread perception that the world’s busiest international airport is struggling to cope. Airline executives insist that congestion at Heathrow is a constant factor in delays, particularly when bad weather or other unexpected events strike.
Heathrow operates at 98 per cent capacity, handling 66 million passengers a year. This means that small problems can quickly escalate into a crisis, such as the cancellations and misery endured by passengers during the heavy snowfall before Christmas.
Poor facilities and ageing infrastructure have also contributed to below-average standards and long delays, airline bosses say.
The state of Britain’s airport infrastructure prompted 74 business leaders to write a letter to The Times yesterday decrying “blighted” airports that were “overstretched, congested and prone to disruption”. They claimed the Government’s lack of an aviation strategy threatened economic growth because it put a constraint on trade and tourism.
Philip Hammond, the Transport Secretary, responds with his own letter today, saying it is “nonsense” to claim the Government does not have an aviation strategy. He adds that it is “a mistake” to assume that building additional runways is necessary.
Boris Johnson said that capacity and the quality of London’s airports needed to improve. His spokesman said: “There is a heroic effort to sustain Heathrow but neither the capacity or passenger experience match our ambitions as a global city.” The London Mayor has proposed a super-hub in the Thames Estuary to replace Heathrow.
The airport quality data, known as ASQs, are compiled by the trade body Airports Council International and are rarely made public. The full breakdown shows that Heathrow has overtaken Paris, Madrid and Frankfurt after a period of investment. It also ranks higher than Gatwick or Stansted.
BAA, which owns Heathrow, has begun to improve the airport in recent years, and the new Terminal 5 and revamped Terminal 4, have improved passenger perceptions. But the airport still lags behind Amsterdam Schiphol and Dublin and it is way off the pace set by the new airports in Asia. The figures show that Singapore Changi, Seoul Incheon and Hong Kong International are the best in the world.
A spokesman for BAA said: “Heathrow has made significant progress over the past year improving our performance, particularly compared to other European hub airports. We are pleased with progress made on improving courtesy, service and reducing queue times across the airport. Clearly there is more that we can do and that is why we are investing £1 billion a year in the airport’s infrastructure.”
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