Which London Airport Should I Fly Into?

Introduction to London Airports

London is served by the largest number of airports for any single city in the world, with only New York having a greater number. Together, these six airports in and around the city of London form the busiest airport system in the world by passenger numbers, handling over 168 million passengers every year.

If you’re planning a trip to the UK, it is very likely that you’ll be flying into one of these six airports – either to visit London itself or to connect to another onward flight.

However, you may be wondering which airport may be the best one for you to use for your trip to the UK, given that all of them have different amenities on site, flight destinations and transport connections to the city.

In this guide, we’ll briefly discuss each London airport and give you a rundown on how well they might suit your next UK visit plans.

Heathrow Airport

By far the biggest and busiest airport in the UK, Heathrow collectively handles over 79,000,000 passengers a year from destinations all around the world. It is located in the London Borough of Hillingdon, approximately 23 miles away from the city centre.

Heathrow is made up of four operational terminals: Terminal 2, 3, 4 and 5 (Terminal 1 is defunct and does not operate flights). All four of these terminals are linked by the London Underground, and passengers can travel between terminals for free.

What Transport Links are Available from Heathrow?

Heathrow is arguably the most well-connected London airport and has a variety of methods to reach the city centre.

The fastest method to reach London from Heathrow is the Heathrow Express, which is a premium, non-stop service operating between Terminal 5, Terminals 2 and 3 and London Paddington station. The journey takes approximately 15-20 minutes.

Though no doubt fast and convenient, the Heathrow Express is also the most expensive public transport option from Heathrow, costing £25 for a single ticket.

Another option is also the Elizabeth line, which is slightly slower and cheaper than the Heathrow Express. A single journey at off-peak from Terminal 5 to Paddington will typically take just over half an hour, with a single ticket costing around £13.30. The Elizabeth line also runs further than Paddington, running to city-centre destinations such as Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road and Liverpool Street.

The final rail option available is the London Underground Piccadilly line, which typically takes just under an hour to reach the city centre. It is also the cheapest rail option from Heathrow, with a single journey costing as little as £5.60. Both the Elizabeth and Piccadilly lines can be paid for using an Oyster or contactless card.

Alternative routes into London from Heathrow include coaches that travel into Victoria coach station and private cabs. These can take around one or two hours to reach the city, depending on traffic, and can cost between £10-£20 for coaches and upwards of £50-£80 for cabs.

Destinations and Amenities

Being the biggest airport in the UK, Heathrow also flies to more destinations than any other airport in the country, including various long- and short-haul destinations. For this reason, it is also a popular hub for connecting flights and layovers for travellers. If you’re flying to or from a relatively quiet or obscure destination, it may be the case that Heathrow may be the only option available to you.

Unsurprisingly, Heathrow has the widest variety of shopping, dining and service options of any UK airport, meaning that travellers are likely to be well-served in this regard while passing through.

Gatwick Airport

The second-busiest London airport, Gatwick serves around 45,000,000 passengers a year and is located in the county of West Sussex, approximately 39 miles away from the city centre.

Gatwick consists of two terminals: the North and South terminals. There is a free shuttle service connecting the two terminals.

What Transport Links are Available from Gatwick?

The primary transport link serving Gatwick is rail. Gatwick Airport rail station is situated next to the South Terminal.

Southern rail trains link Gatwick airport to London Victoria, with trains taking just over half an hour and costing around £9.50. Similarly, Thameslink services link the airport to central London destinations such as London Bridge and Kings Cross St Pancras, with journey times between 30 and 60 minutes and costing the same as Southern services.

There is also the Gatwick Express, which is a premium non-stop service that operates between Gatwick and London Victoria. Journey times are around half an hour, with a single ticket costing £21.80.

Oyster and contactless cards can be used for all rail services from Gatwick to London.

Be careful to get on the right train at Gatwick Airport station, as all three train services can depart from any platform. You may be liable for a penalty fare if you accidentally board a Gatwick Express train with a Southern or Thameslink ticket.

Coach and cab services are also available from Gatwick, with cabs predictably costing the most out of all transport options available.

Destinations and Amenities

Gatwick is the primary base for low-cost airlines such as easyJet and TUI, meaning that most flights from the airport are short-haul flights to mainland Europe and the surrounding areas, although there are also some long-haul flights that operate to countries such as China, the USA and Singapore.

Gatwick is a fairly large airport, so is well-served by a variety of retail and dining options.

Stanstead Airport

Stanstead is the third-busiest London airport and handles over 23,000,000 passengers every year. It is situated in the county of Essex, approximately 49 miles from central London.

What Transport Links are Available from Stanstead?

Stanstead is linked by rail to London Liverpool Street station. There is one main service running on this route, which is the Stanstead Express.

These trains take around 47 minutes to reach Liverpool Street from Stanstead, and can generally cost around £23 (though prices can be cheaper when booked in advance through the main carrier website). Note that you cannot use Oyster or a contactless card for this journey; you must buy a dedicated ticket before you travel.

Note that unlike the Heathrow or Gatwick Express services, the Stanstead Express does make stops along the way en route to London. This includes Tottenham Hale station, which links to the London Underground Victoria line.

Much like other London airports, Stanstead also has frequent bus, coach and cab services to London, though these can vary greatly in price.

Destinations and Amenities

Similarly to Gatwick, Stanstead is the base of numerous low-cost airlines, so most of the destinations it serves are ones in continental Europe, with some additional destinations in north Africa and Asia. As a result, it is popular with British holidaymakers, particularly in the summer months.

As Stanstead only has one terminal, it offers a reasonable number of shopping and dining options, though notably fewer than Heathrow or Gatwick.

Luton Airport

Located in the county of Bedfordshire and situated 44 miles away from central London, Luton airport handles over 13,000,000 passengers every year.

What Transport Links are Available from Luton?

Luton Airport Parkway station has reasonably frequent services into London St Pancras station, with both East Midlands and Thameslink operating services. A journey on an East Midlands train takes around 23 minutes from Luton Airport Parkway to St Pancras, while a Thameslink service will take around 30-40 minutes.

Tickets can generally cost upwards of £18, though this may be found for cheaper if booked in advance.

Note that in order to reach the train station from the airport, passengers will have to take the Luton DART, which is a light-rail shuttle service. If you are planning a journey to the airport, you will be able to enter “Luton Airport” as your destination station rather than Luton Airport Parkway, as this will account for the journey time and cost of the DART.

The DART takes around 4 minutes and costs £4.90.

Luton airport also has regular bus and coach services into London and elsewhere outside of the city. Private cab services are also available. The journey time by bus or cab can take up to two hours at peak times due to the volume of traffic in and around central London.

Destinations and Amenities

The majority of flights from Luton are low-cost carrier flights to various destinations in Europe and the surrounding areas.

Luton is considered to be a fairly basic airport with a fair amount of shopping and dining options. Notably, Luton Airport has been the recipient of a number of “worst airport in the UK” accolades, although Manchester Airport has most recently taken the current title at the time of writing.

City Airport

Sitting in the London Borough of Newham, City Airport is the closest London airport to the city centre, at only 12 miles away. It handles around 3,000,000 passengers a year, many of whom use the airport to travel for business.

What Transport Links are Available from City?

City Airport is conveniently located to take advantage of London’s sprawling, integrated transport network.

The airport has its own station on the DLR network, which is a light-rail service that operates across East London. From here, passengers can take a short 15 minute journey to Canary Wharf station, which links to the London Underground Jubilee line.

Alternatively, passengers can travel to Stratford station in around 15 minutes, where there are connections to the Central line, Elizabeth line, other DLR services, the London Overground and mainline train services into Liverpool Street and beyond into Essex.

Additionally, the DLR also connects into central London itself, with stations at Bank and Tower Gateway.

Oyster cards or contactless pay-as-you-go can be used on all the services mentioned above (as long as the journey takes place entirely within the London fare boundary area).

City airport is served by a small number of local London bus services. There are also black cabs and other private taxi services operating out of the airport.

Destinations and Amenities

City is a small airport, and so only operates a small handful of flights to select European destinations. As the airport is primarily used by people travelling for work or business, it is not often used by tourists or holidaymakers.

City Airport has a small handful of shops and dining options, mostly which cater for essentials.

Southend Airport

Despite being located over 57 miles away from central London in coastal Essex, Southend airport is considered to be the sixth airport serving the London area. It is by far the least busiest of all of the six London airports, only serving around 146,000 passengers every year.

What Transport Links are Available from Southend?

Southend Airport has its own train station, with direct trains to Liverpool Street station taking just under an hour. This service generally also stops at Stratford station, where passengers can disembark to take a variety of other transport connections into London. Tickets can be purchased for around £20.

Due to its distance from London, there are no direct bus or coach services connecting the airport to the city itself. There are, however, bus services to local destinations in Essex as well as Stanstead airport.

Cabs are available from Southend Airport, but it is not generally recommended to use these to travel into London, due to the long journey times and prohibitive cost. Journeys can take between one and two hours, depending on the traffic, and can cost between £100 and £200.

Destinations and Amenities

Southend Airport is an extremely small airport, with only a small handful of flights departing and arriving in a single day. As a result, all of the destinations are short-haul ones located in Europe or north Africa.

There are a minimal number of shops and dining options at Southend restaurant, and far fewer than any other London airport.

How Can IAS Help With Your Visit to the UK?

Although most people who visit the UK are able to do so safely and successfully, there is always the risk of issues arising as a result of poor planning or unforeseen circumstances. Visas and immigration, for example, are some of the most common issues that visitors to the UK may have.

If you would like additional assistance with your next visit to the UK, including help with the logistics of your travel, visa and immigration information or anything else, IAS can help.

We are a team of immigration experts who have helped visitors and immigrants to the UK with a wide variety of issues. Whether you’re visiting family and friends and need extra help with understanding the guidelines, a business visitor looking for the right permit for your work trip, or you have a particularly complex case that needs the help of an immigration official, we can help.

We can also assist if you have been detained at a UK airport, or if you are struggling to enter the UK through a safe and legal route.

For more information about the services we offer and what we could do for you, reach out to us on 0333 305 9375 or contact us online today.