National economy

As the UK’s only hub airport, Heathrow provides links to the rest of the world and is one of the economy’s most important assets.

Heathrow serves all but one of the top 30 world cities ranked by GDP. Excluding Heathrow, the UK has direct air services to just 10 of those destinations.

Of the 60 million business passengers using UK airports each year, around 40% travel through Heathrow. It handles nearly 30% (by value) of all exports between the UK and non-EU destinations, worth over £30 billion and more than any other port in the country.

Strategic transport links and access to international markets are essential factors in most major companies’ investment decisions, making Heathrow’s status as a hub airport important in facilitating business investment in the UK.

The airport is particularly important to the UK's ability to attract investment from growth economies, providing, for example, the only direct air services between the UK and China and serving 94% of passengers flying to and from the UK and India.

Around three-quarters of overseas visitors to the UK arrive by air, bringing economic benefits from business and tourism. Passengers arriving at Heathrow account for over a third of the £16 billion spent annually in the UK by overseas visitors.

The airport also gives significant support to the local economy, bringing business to companies located at and near the airport (see Business support). It is the biggest single-site employer in the UK (see Employment and skills).

Heathrow's impact on the economy and aviation's social benefits are described in Towards a sustainable Heathrow - A Focus on the Economy (955KB PDF)