organisations, including the state of Bavaria,
HSBC and Zurich Insurance Group, have
signed the pledge, promising to ensure that
the Paris Agreement’s ambition to limit global
temperature rise to less than 2 ̊C is met.
Speaking at the Global
Sustainable Aviation Summit in
Geneva last September, Holland-
Kaye, said: “Heathrow’s ambition is
to be the world’s most responsible
hub airport and to do that we must
nd innovative solutions to our most
pressing environmental challenges,
including those around carbon. Our
work in Terminal 2, the Heathrow
Commuter Programme and the
Heathrow Sustainability Partnership
are examples of innovation in action
and we are proud they are being
cited in Aviation Climate Solutions.
We know we cannot do this alone,
and we will continue to work with partners
in the airport, and our international industry
counterparts gathered at the conference
today, to ensure we remain at the cutting-edge
of green innovations and continue to deliver
leading environmental results.”NEW CARRIERS
Garuda Indonesia became Heathrow’s newest
airline when it launched services to the West
London airport from Jakarta on March 31.
Previously the carrier had used Gatwick for
its UK operations, routing via Amsterdam, but
took the opportunity to move airports when
slots became available, saying that it wanted
to align its London ights with its SkyTeam
partners. Although Garuda currently ies out
of T3, plans are in place for it to move across
to T4 to join the other SkyTeam carriers.Garuda follows in the footsteps of SkyTeam
partner Vietnam Airlines which switched from
Gatwick to Heathrow in March 2015. The slot
agreement with Vietnam Airlines took seven
years to come to fruition.
When welcoming Garuda Indonesia to
Heathrow, CEO Holland-Kaye revealed there
is “a queue of over 30 airlines waiting for slots
from Heathrow”.
“With expansion, we can supercharge
British trade by opening up 40 new long-haul
trading links with the fastest growing markets
in the world,” he added.This March, Korean Air became the ninth
carrier to use the Airbus A380 on its Heathrow
routes, strengthening the airport’s position
as the most popular facility for the type.
Other airlines utilising the A380 to Heathrow
are Emirates, Etihad Airways,
Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar
Airways, Singapore Airlines, Thai
International Airways and based-
carrier British Airways. Emirates’
new sixth daily service will switch
to an A380 in July meaning all the
airline’s ights are operated by that
type.
The increased capacity on
the routes has helped Heathrow
maintain its growth in passenger
numbers and in March the airport
welcomed a record 6.1 million
passengers, a 2.5% increase on the
same period last year. Destinations
that showed remarkable rises during the month
included China (+12%), Mexico (+6%), India
(+4%), and the Middle East (+9%).
The airport’s growth has been backed by
a strong nancial performance recording a
revenue of £2,765m in 2015, up 2.7%. That
has resulted in an EBITDA (earnings before
interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization)
of £1,605m, up 3%. The airport also noted
a downward trend in operating costs in the
second half of the year.
The introduction of T5 and redevelopment
of T2 has given Heathrow two world-class
terminals, that have helped fuel its current
impressive performance. The jewel in the
crown will be the third runway that the airport
believes will boost the UK economy to the
tune of £211bn – however when, or even if,
that happens remains to be seen.22 Aviation News incorporating Classic Aircraft June 2016Above: An artist’s impression of a
redeveloped Heathrow including its proposed
third runway. Heathrow Airport
Below: Heathrow’s redeveloped Terminal 2 is
home to its Star Alliance carriers. Sam ChuiBritish Airways is the largest operator at Heathrow. In 2014,
31.6 million passengers passed through the airline’s T5 home.18-22_lhr_overview.JR.mfDC.mfDC.indd 22 06/05/2016 16:34