Development of Heathrow Airport
The development of Heathrow airport is used as an example to illustrate how requirements for the
runway system and the other infrastructure of the airport can change rapidly and unexpectedly.
The history of Heathrow airport began in 1929. Richard Fairey Great West Aerodrome, which was
used mostly for experimental flights was opened on the site of the present airport. In the course of
World War II the Ministry of Aviation needed to build a bigger airport in the London area with
longer runways that could be used by heavy bombers and airliners. In 1942 site selection started
and in 1944 it was decided to build an airport at Heathrow with the then classical arrangement of
three runways forming an equilateral triangle.
The war terminated before the airport was completed. It was necessary to adapt the airport project
to the needs of civil aviation. It was not a simple task. It was necessary to estimate the
development of civil aviation and its requirements after a six-year stagnation. A commission of
experts assessed several options for completing the construction of the runway system using the
three runways under construction. Apart from others, the commission determined these
requirements:
1. The runway system should allow the operation of any type of aircraft, considering a crosswind
limit of 4 kts (2m.s-1).
2. Two parallel runways should be constructed in each direction, with a minimum separation of 1
500 yards (1 371 m).
The resulting design was in the form of a Star of David. Originally the construction of a third
runway triangle was planned to the north of the present airport, beyond the A4 trunk road. Thus a
system of three parallel runways would have been available whatever the wind direction