"Nigel Pendse" wrote in message
...
"Graeme Wall" wrote in message
In message
wrote:
[snip]
This is Europe's biggest city; the third biggest (population-wise) on
the planet -and accounts for LHR having the distinction of the
world's busiest airspace. Sadly, this is why we *need* another
airport.
I thought Chicago O'Hare had the world's busiest airspace, Heathrow
is merely the busiest for international flights.
I think the London airports system (including Heathrow, Gatwich, Luton,
Stansted and City) is the world's busiest *system*, more than Atlanta or
Chicago, though ORD or ATL individually do have significantly more flights
than LHR alone. Though those cities also have other airports (eg, Chicago
Midway), no other world city has five international airports. Even New
York's system of three major airports falls well short of London's.
As you say busiest can have many meanings, the UK airfield with the most
aircraft movements until fairly recently at least was Kidlington, flight
training centre North of Oxford. Their ATC used to boast they had 50% more
plane and helicopter flights per day than Heathrow and Gatwick combined.
(Mostly flying circuits)