Heathrow Expansion Could Open The Door To Five Additional UK Routes, According To New Research
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from the Heathrow Media Centre.
These three bullet-points act as sub-headings.
- New research identifies Belfast International, Cornwall Airport Newquay, Leeds Bradford Airport, Liverpool John Lennon and Teesside International Airport as most likely to gain Heathrow connections through expansion
- New links could unlock £335m in additional gross tourism spend, boosting trade, investment and jobs. This builds on the estimated £1.2bn in gross tourism spending across the UK from travellers supported by current Heathrow domestic routes
- Regional airports and businesses support this Government’s backing of Heathrow expansion and urge the project to be progressed as fast as possible
This is the first paragraph.
New research by Frontier Economics has identified the UK airports most likely to benefit from new or restored connections to Heathrow, when additional airport capacity is delivered by a third runway.
Surprise surprise! Research paid for by an airport shows more flights to the airport are a good idea after a new runway has been added.
I will look at each airport mentioned in the report in detail.
Belfast International
Belfast International Airport handles nearly seven million passengers a year, as opposed to the 2.5 million passengers that use the smaller Belfast City Airport.
Consider.
- Belfast International has flights to Gatwick, Luton and Stansted.
- I’ve only flown into Belfast twice and it was once to each airport.
- If I wanted to go, I’d probably go from London City to Belfast City unless say, I was being picked up from Belfast International and perhaps going some distance from Belfast, in which case it would be Gatwick Airport.
- Note that I only travel with a small amount of hand baggage. As an an aside, what do travellers put in their mammoth suitcases?
- The press release talks of Belfast’s growing screen and cultural industries.
I wonder, if Belfast International needs flights from Heathrow, because there is increasing amounts of connecting travellers for Belfast and the aircraft to Belfast City aren’t large enough.
Cornwall Airport Newquay
Newquay has flights to Gatwick and Stansted.
I’ve only been to Newquay once and I went by train, which I wrote about in Newquay Station – 9/10th February 2024.
- I changed once at Par.
- But soon, if not already, there will be direct trains from Paddington.
- Will there be Pullman Dining, as I experienced on On The 10:45 From Paddington? That journey was the best train breakfast I’ve ever had!
Paddington and Heathrow isn’t a difficult journey to get the train for Newquay.
Leeds Bradford Airport
I used to fly light aircraft and I have friends in aviation. One phrase you regularly hear from pilots is “Time to spare, go by air!”
- Basically, unless you’re flying in a business jet, leave plenty of time.
- Leeds Bradford is a good airport and they did a good job, when I presented them with a problem, that I wrote about in Incident At Leeds.
- If I came into Heathrow, I would probably use Heathrow Express to Paddington and then get the Metropolitan Line to King’s Cross to get to Yorkshire.
- Leeds is also getting a Metro.
- LNER and other train companies are developing their services to the Leeds-Bradford area and there are now services to Bradford, Doncaster, Harrogate, Hull, Leeds, Shipley, Skipton and York.
- Leeds station has two trains per hour to and from London.
- Leeds station has lots of taxis.
Google AI gives this AI Overview of parking at Leeds-Bradford airport.
Parking at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) is highly streamlined, offering a range of on-site and off-site options. It features a popular Free 1-Hour Zone for drop-offs, premium options right outside the terminal, and competitive long-stay parking. Pre-booking online is heavily recommended to secure spaces and get the best
I doubt that flying between Heathrow and Leeds Airport will be popular, unless you’re parking at the airport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport
A lot of the things said about Leeds Bradford Airport can be said about Liverpool airport.
But Liverpool already has a comprehensive Metro.
Google AI gives this AI Overview of parking at Liverpool airport.
Parking at Liverpool John Lennon Airport is extremely convenient because all official car parks are located directly on-site within a 1 to 5-minute walk of the terminal building—meaning no shuttle buses are required.
As with Leeds-Bradford Airport, I doubt that flying to Heathrow will be popular, unless you’re parking at the airport
Teesside International Airport
Reading the Wikipedia entry for Teesside International Airport doesn’t give the impression, the airport is in the best of health.
But this is said about parking on the Teesside International Airport web site.
Teesside Airport parking is situated directly opposite the terminal building.
Wherever you’re coming from for your flight, be it Middlesbrough, Hartlepool or down the road in Darlington, our parking is closer and safer than parking anywhere else to access the airport. It is monitored 24/7 and has been awarded safe parking status by Park Mark.
Dropping off or picking up? There’s free parking for up to two hours when you spend minimum of £5 in our Landside Café or landside terminal shops. Receipt must be shown for validation.
I suspect if you’re going to one of its eight destinations and you want to take your car, then you might use Teesside International Airport.
Although several local stations seem to have good train services to King’s Cross, it does appear that Teesside International Airport could be using parking to attract business with customer-friendly parking.
I have some thoughts.
Do Many Passengers Take A Coach To Heathrow?
Google AI gave this answer, when I asked the question in the title of this section.
Yes, absolutely. Over 5 million passengers take coaches to Heathrow every year.
The airport’s Central Bus Station is one of the busiest coach hubs in the UK, and coaches provide an incredibly popular, cost-effective alternative to trains and taxis.
The main reasons so many travelers choose to take the coach include:
Direct Terminal Access: Coaches drop you off directly at the Heathrow Central Bus Station (for Terminals 2 and 3) or right outside Terminals 4 and 5.
This saves you from dragging heavy luggage through the London Underground or navigating complex rail changes.
Cost-Effective: Advance tickets often start as low as \(£10.50\), making it substantially cheaper than black cabs, airport parking, or premium rail lines like the Heathrow Express.National Connectivity: Coaches connect Heathrow to over 500 locations across the country.
Major hubs like Bristol, Oxford, Cambridge, and Southampton have direct, frequent services without requiring a change in Central London.
Early Morning Travel: Because the airport is a 24-hour operation, many coaches run throughout the night, offering crucial connections before local trains even begin operating.
An alternative at some of these smaller airports could be better coach travel.
Is Anybody Proposing A Small Airliner Powered By Hydrogen Fuel Cells?
I believe a smaller airliner powered by hydrogen fuel cells could suit feeder flights from smaller airports.
Google AI gave this answer, when I asked the question in the title of this section.
Yes, several aerospace companies are actively developing and testing hydrogen fuel cell airliners, ranging from retrofitted commuter planes to clean-sheet regional aircraft.
The leading proposals and active development programs include:
Airbus ZEROe: Airbus is designing a 100-seat regional airliner powered by four 2.4-megawatt hydrogen fuel cell engines.
After verifying the concept’s feasibility, Airbus is currently assembling a 1.2MW powertrain demonstrator for testing, with the aircraft targeted for entry into service in the late 2030s.
ZeroAvia: ZeroAvia is focused on retrofitting existing regional airframes (such as the Dornier 228) with hydrogen-electric engines.
They are currently testing their ZA600 powertrain for 19-seat aircraft and are actively developing larger systems (up to 80 seats) to enter commercial service in the coming years.
.H2Fly: This company focuses on small regional aircraft and has test flights slated for their 4-seat air taxis and larger regional prototypes.
They advocate for starting with smaller planes to avoid the complex infrastructure challenges of larger models.
Beyond Aero: They are developing “ONE,” a hydrogen-electric business aircraft designed specifically for executive travel, aiming to reduce both costs and carbon emissions compared to traditional jet fuel.
Hopefully, hydrogen fuel cell powered aircraft will be quiet.
The Anonymous Widower 