From a wartime airfield to Europe’s busiest airport
Heathrow’s history as a major airport began in 1946, when the former RAF field west of London opened for civil flights, with passengers first processed in tents and military huts. The Queen’s Building, Terminal 2 and the iconic control tower followed in the 1950s. Today Heathrow has four terminals in use and handles more international passengers than almost any other airport, all on two parallel runways.
What you’ll see on the live cams
Heathrow is a slot-controlled airport running close to full capacity, so there is always something moving. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic aircraft make up a large share, alongside every major airline from North America, the Middle East and Asia. Storm days are especially popular: when crosswinds blow in from the Atlantic, the cams capture go-arounds and wobbly landings that draw huge live audiences.
Runways and the alternation system
Heathrow has two parallel east–west runways: 09L/27R (north) and 09R/27L (south). With westerly winds, which blow about 70% of the time, aircraft land towards the west over London. During westerly operations the airport alternates the landing runway at 15:00 each day. Easterly operations, used when the wind blows from the east, bring arrivals over Windsor instead.
Best times to watch
- 05:00–09:00: the long-haul arrival wave from North America and Asia.
- Midday: Gulf carrier A380s and a steady flow of European traffic.
- Windy autumn and winter days: dramatic crosswind landings and go-arounds.
