Key information
Publication type: General
Publication date:
Contents
Overview
This data analysis, produced by the London Assembly Research Unit, provides an overview of the primary airports that serve London. This includes London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport, London Stansted Airport, London Luton Airport, London City Airport and London Southend Airport.
The information presented in the report is based on published data from a range of sources, including the Department for Transport (DfT), Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and data published by individual airports.
The analysis was undertaken in support of planned work by the London Assembly Environment Committee.
This page presents highlights from the report, with the full document available from the link below.
London's airports
London is served by six major international airports. These are:
- London Luton Airport
- London Stansted Airport
- London Southend Airport
- London City Airport
- London Heathrow Airport
- London Gatwick Airport.
Heathrow and London City are the only two major international airports within the GLA boundary.
Map of London's airports
Distances calculated using Mapdevelopers.com and mapped using geojson.io. For the purpose of straight-line distance calculation, Trafalgar Square is the centre of London.
Passenger numbers
The number of passenger arrivals and departures from London’s major airports increased steadily from 2013 to 2019. In 2022 to 2024, passenger numbers increased but are overall 2 per cent lower than the 2019 high. Heathrow and Stansted reported higher passenger arrivals and departures in 2024 compared to 2019, while other airports reported fewer. Gatwick saw the most significant decrease in overall passenger numbers, with 3,332,631 fewer passengers in 2024 compared to 2019.
Passenger numbers at London airports (thousands)
Source: Department for Transport, Aviation Statistics, Table AVI0102, December 2024. 2024 figures from CAA, Annual airport data 2024, Table 09, accessed August 2025.
Air passenger traffic
In 2024, there were flights between London airports and international airports in over 110 countries. 19.6 million passengers flew between London airports and the US in 2024, accounting for the single biggest proportion of international air passenger traffic to and from London (12 per cent).
International air passenger traffic to and from London airports, 2024
Source: CAA, Annual airport data 2024, Table 12. Figures for Spain include flights to and from the Canary islands. Figures for Portugal include flights to and from Madeira. Data does not include Biggin Hill airport.
CO2 emissions
The Airport Tracker 2024 estimates the carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions of airports around the world, using data derived from the Global Aviation Carbon Assessment (GACA). Total flight CO2 emissions at London’s six major airports were estimated at 27.4 million tonnes in 2024.
Total CO2 flight emissions in 2024 (million tonnes)
ODI, Transport and Environment, Tracker - Airport Tracker , accessed August 2025. Data provided by International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) based on the Global Aviation Carbon Assessment. Full data methodology can be found at Graver, B., Rutherford, D., and Zheng, S., CO2 emissions from commercial aviation: 2013, 2018, and 2019, 2020.
Noise complaints
Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted publish data on the number of noise complaints they receive from members of the public. In 2024, total noise complaints decreased by 15.6 per cent on the previous year. Prior to this, the number of noise complaints had steadily increased since 2020 but had not reached pre-pandemic levels.
Combined noise complaints at Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted airports
Source: Luton, Quarterly Noise Report, 2024, 2022, and 2020. Annual complaint data calculated from quarterly figures. Heathrow, Heathrow Noise Complaints and Enquiries 2024. Stansted, Noise performance. Gatwick, Annual report. All accessed September 2025.
Related documents
London's airports - RU data pack.pdf