A new report from the London Assembly’s Transport Committee has found that the airport capacity in London is currently underused, with some London gateways having more than half of their runway slots free.
According to the report ‘Airport Capacity in London’, even London Heathrow Airport – which is currently running at 99% runway capacity – could potentially fly an additional 20 million passengers every year if larger aircraft were used.
The Transport Committee’s report has argued that existing airport capacity in London, including at the busier Heathrow and Gatwick airports, could be used more effectively.
The research found that:

  • STN Airport has 47% of runway slots available
  • LTN Airport has 51% of runway slots available
  • LGW Airport has 12% of runway slots available
  • At 99% capacity, LHR Airport’s runway capacity is nearly full, but evidence suggests that increasing aircraft size would allow it to increase capacity

However, to encourage passengers to switch from using Heathrow, the report says improving transport access from central London to Gatwick, Luton and Stansted is needed.