DATA SPOTLIGHT: London Heathrow Airport

22 April, 2020

This year The Blue Swan Daily will feature some of the leading airlines, airports and country markets for air travel. Here, using the extensive profile insights available to CAPA - Centre for Aviation members, we deliver a data snapshot on London Heathrow Airport, for a long time the world's largest international airport and where slot capacity has for years been severely constrained.

Over the last five years, highly prized slots at London's main international gateway have been going for a price and many airlines have profited from selling highly demanded access into the hub airport. There has been a long list of transactions - some sales, but also slot holding leases so airlines can retain ownership.

These have mainly been European short-haul carriers selling to long-haul operators, but there are exceptions, including the USD75 million Oman Air paid Kenya Airways in 2016 for a single slot pair, albeit including premium early morning access.

Earlier this year, Air New Zealand sold its daily Heathrow slot pair to an undisclosed buyer after announcing the closure of its European flight. The new owner will take up ownership from Oct-2020 and has paid a reported NZD42 million (USD27 million) for the privilege, a big expense considering the current aviation market, where the international hub is eerily quiet.

ABOUT
Owned and operated by Heathrow Airport Holdings (previously BAA), London Heathrow Airport is a major international airport, the principal international gateway serving the city of London and (depending on measure used) one of the world's busiest international airports.

NETWORK MAP (as at 20-Apr-2020)

GLOBAL RANKING (as at 20-Apr-2020)

DESTINATIONS (as at 20-Apr-2020)

ANNUAL PASSENGER TRAFFIC (2010 - 2020YTD)

MONTHLY PASSENGER TRAFFIC AND SEASONALITY IN DEMAND (2015 - 2020YTD)

ANNUAL CAPACITY (2012-2020*)(NOTE:The values for this year are at least partly predictive up to 6 months and may be subject to change)

WEEKLY DOMESTIC CAPACITY (2017 - 2020*)NOTE:*the values for this year are at least partly predictive up to six months and may be subject to change.

WEEKLY INTERNATIONAL CAPACITY (2017-2020*)NOTE:*the values for this year are at least partly predictive up to six months and may be subject to change.

CAPACITY SPLIT BETWEEN DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS (w/c 20-Apr-2020)

LARGEST AIRLINES BY CAPACITY (w/c 20-Apr-2020)

LARGEST DOMESTIC DESTINATION MARKETS (w/c 20-Apr-2020)

LARGEST INTERNATIONAL DESTINATION MARKETS (w/c 20-Apr-2020)

AVERAGE FLIGHT LENGTH (w/c 20-Apr-2020)

AIRLINE BUSINESS MODEL CAPACITY SPLIT (w/c 20-Apr-2020)

ALLIANCE CAPACITY SPLIT (w/c 20-Apr-2020)

INTERNATIONAL MARKET CAPACITY BREAKDOWN BY REGION (w/c 20-Apr-2020)

AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS BY MOVEMENTS (w/c 20-Apr-2020)

MORE INSIGHTS...

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European airports: monopolies, or exploiting market power?

UK regional airlines: Flybe or not Flybe? Connectivity!

UK's international hub airport not Heathrow. Amsterdam still main hub