|
1. Heathrow Airport, near London, has called the world's busiest international airport and the 68 million passengers who are processed each year would probably agree.
2. The land on which the airport stands sold to Fairey Aviation by the local vicar and was used for test flights during the 1930s, under the name Great Western Aerodrome.
3. In 1944, the airport was handed over to the government and was developed for civilian use, was named after a small village that was removed to create space, Heath Row.
4. The first concrete slab of the modern runways was laid by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and the first terminal building, which has later renamed Terminal 2, was opened two years later.
5. The London Underground was extended to reach Heathrow in 1977, meaning that passengers could be transport from central London via the Piccadilly Line in just under an hour.
6. Four passenger terminals and a cargo terminal have been constructed and permission was been granted for a fifth passenger terminal in 2001.
7. It has been suggested that a new airport, which would lead to Heathrow being retired over a period of 20 years, has been built on a floating island in the Thames, although no firm plans have been drawn up.
|
