Heathrow is the world’s most expensive airport, so why is it so bad?
Heathrow has yet again to rank in the top 20 in the world’s airport rankings. It’s time for a complete regulatory overhaul to give Londoners the hub they deserve, says Nigel Wicking
At an awards ceremony in Madrid, news travelled fast that Heathrow, the UK’s only hub airport, had yet again failed to take a top 20 spot in the world’s airport rankings.
The announcement that Singapore Changi had been crowned the World’s Best Airport for the 13th time by Skytrax, followed Heathrow’s stagnant position between 21st or 22nd since 2023, and a distant memory from its eighth position in 2019. Yet, for the winners, Singapore Changi had improved on last year’s second position, and continues to be recognised as a jewel in its crown for economic development.
Having travelled through Singapore Changi just last week, it doesn’t take long to see how this airport has achieved “world leading” status. The ease of traversing, great facilities and space means that there is no feeling of congestion. The use of technology and innovation, including biometrics, as well as layout, create a far more efficient security screening experience. These are just two great illustrations of efficient investment and collaboration.
In the last six years, Heathrow’s slide down the respected industry rankings stands in stark contrast to its crowning position as the world’s most expensive airport. It begs the question, given the premium that it charges passengers, how can Heathrow’s customer experience fall so far short?
A clue might be found in recent research by the Heathrow AOC, the representative body for over 90 airlines, ground handlers and others operating at Heathrow, confirming over 60 per cent of airline representatives deemed Heathrow worse than other major airports in terms of terminal quality of service. More concerningly, two in three (67 per cent) agree that the way Heathrow is run impacts its effectiveness as a hub.
Over 60 per cent of airline representatives deemed Heathrow worse than other major airports in terms of terminal quality of service
Heathrow is uniquely important. An efficient hub airport is critical to facilitating much needed UK economic growth. Yet our UK gateway consistently trails behind many other airports with ‘hub’ status, with Dubai, Istanbul and Amsterdam all retaining their top 20 positions in recent years.
Heathrow must be more competitive
There must be a better way to make Heathrow more competitive and affordable, with a world-class experience that passengers and businesses rightly expect. The shared vision for a Heathrow Reimagined was borne out of these spiralling costs and declining passenger experience, exacerbated by ageing infrastructure. Not only that, we estimate that passengers and airlines paid £1.1bn more in 2024 alone, than if Heathrow’s charges were in line with other major European airports.
The UK government has signalled its support for Heathrow expansion and invited proposals this summer. We are supportive, but only if there is fundamental reform to ensure the price makes sense. It’s ultimately passengers that will fund growth but the current flawed regulatory regime simply won’t provide value for money. Our collective call to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is for an urgent and fundamental review of Heathrow’s regulatory model. It’s necessary, achievable and doesn’t need to delay spades in the ground for expansion.
Now is the time to understand what has gone wrong with the current economic model at Heathrow and create a better hub for Britain. A top five hub wouldn’t just restore national pride for this key national infrastructure, but it would give Britain a platform, like Singapore has showcased, to deliver on the significant economic opportunities of a world-class gateway.
Nigel Wicking is CEO of Heathrow AOC and founding member of Heathrow Reimagined alongside Arora Group, IAG and Virgin Atlantic