London Airports

London Airports

Discover all the airports in London and the distances between these airports to give you a better idea when you travel. Giving you the information you need if you are not familiar with the London airports, as it can easily be confused. You can easily locate the cheapest flight from London by simply choosing the right airport to fly from.

What are the airports?

There are six airports in London, these are Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, London City, Luton Airport, Southend Airport and Stansted Airport. These different airports are scattered around all four directions of London. Even though they all have 'London' in their names, not all of them are located in London.

London Heathrow Airport (LHR)

One of the busiest airports in the world, with the most airlines and destinations connected to the airport. It's also a hub for British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. Prior to 2020, it's serving around 80 million passengers annually. Its busiest routes include New York, Dubai, Dublin, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.

London Gatwick Airport (LGW)

The second largest airport in London, it's not geographically in London though. The airport is actually located in a town called Horley, Surrey, which is nearly 30 miles from central London. The airport used to be the hub for Virgin Atlantic, but the UK carrier suspended all its operations in 2020. It's now a hub for Wizz Air, easyJet and TUi.

London Luton Airport (LTN)

Luton Airport is located in the North of London, roughly 28 miles from the city of London. Most of its flights are to short-haul destinations as it's serving as a hub for easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air and TUi.

London City Airport (LCY)

London City is located 7 miles from central London, and on the east of Canary Wharf. Because of its location, there are many passengers flying to London City Airport for business purposes. However, the airport only has the capability to fly short-haul destinations because only aircraft up to the Airbus A318 can land at the airport.

London Stansted Airport (LTN)

London Stansted Airport is located 42 miles from Central London. It's another airport that isn't actually located in London. The airport is a hub for Jet2.com, Ryanair and TUi. It's the third busiest airport in London, serving over 25 million passengers per year.

London Southend Airport (SEN)

Southend is the smallest airport in London, with a network of only serving three airlines including Ryanair, Wideroe and Wizz Air. The airport is located 36 miles from the centre of London.

Which London airports are best to fly into & out of?

Depending on the purpose for your trip, these six airports offer passengers different convenience. We have divided these into two categories, business travel and leisure travel.

Business Travel:

• London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
• London City Airport (LCY)

London Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in the UK and with their profile of airlines, passengers can easily travel anywhere in the world including on 5 stars airlines. Passengers travelling in business will also have the privilege to enjoy the airline lounges on departure and arrival if you have an onward connection. The well-connected transport network made it more convenient for passengers to travel to central London too.

Due to its location, London City Airport is the perfect airport for short-haul business travellers visiting to the financial hub for a quick business trip.

Leisure Travel:

• London Stansted Airport (LHR)
• London Gatwick Airport (LCY)
• London Luton Airport (LCY)

Stansted Airport, Gatwick Airport and Luton Airport are all great choice for leisure travellers as the airport tax is lower at these airports and it provided links for both short and long-haul passengers. None of them are too far from Central London too, with direct transport links to the capital.