London Heathrow Airport (LHR) has long been the largest and busiest air hub in the United Kingdom, and plays an important role in connecting not just its homeland but, indeed, Europe as a whole to the rest of the world. However, its compact geographical footprint means that it is currently operating with just two runways, which has led it to become increasingly congested over the last few years.
With this in mind, the facility’s operations are dictated by a strict slot-controlled system. While this keeps its capacity at a manageable level, it does also make it somewhat difficult for new airlines to establish themselves at London Heathrow, given that new slots are both expensive and rare. With that being said, this year will see five new and returning carriers launch routes from the UK’s busiest hub.
Alaska Airlines Now Serves London From Seattle
Arguably the most notable addition to the roster at London Heathrow Airport is Alaska Airlines, which commenced operations on the transatlantic corridor between Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and West London in May. This represented the first time that Alaska Airlines had flown to London, and Heathrow was only its second European destination overall, following Rome’s addition in April.
The carrier serves this route daily using the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners that it has inherited as a result of its merger with Hawaiian Airlines. As far as getting slots was concerned, Alaska Airlines managed to do so via a lease agreement with its fellow oneworld member American Airlines. Commenting on the launch and its wider European growth, Andrew Harrison, Alaska Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer, said that:
“As we connect the West Coast to Europe in new ways, our focus is on delivering a meaningful experience that feels distinctly Alaska Airlines: warm, thoughtful, and elevated at every touchpoint.”
Elsewhere in the long-haul market, Pakistan International Airlines was finally able to restart operations from LHR, following its removal from the UK’s Air Safety List. Using aircraft from the Boeing 777 family, it started flying from the West London hub to Islamabad (ISB) and Lahore (LHE) in March. Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that ISB will see 121 rotations this year, compared to 40 for LHE.
More recently, Simple Flying also reported that China’s XiamenAir had secured slots to serve Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport (XMN) three times a week from London Heathrow Airport using its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner widebody twinjets. As the carrier can fly through Russian airspace, it is able to take a relatively direct route, resulting in a maximum westbound block time of just 12 hours and 54 minutes.
On the short-haul side of things, ITA Airways also returned to London Heathrow Airport this year. It operated a one-off rotation to Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) in February using an Airbus A320neo, but, as far as regularly scheduled operations are concerned, it has penciled in 555 flights to Rome Fiumicino. These began in March, and they use Airbus A319, A320neo, A321, and A321neo narrowbody twinjets.
What a comeback: two airlines return to Heathrow on March 29.
Some Doubt Remains Over Beond’s Heathrow Prospects
The fifth and final new airline that is set to launch flights from London Heathrow Airport this year is boutique Maldivian carrier Beond. Data from Cirium shows that it has penciled in eight rotations with the Airbus A321 from Heathrow to Malé Velana International Airport (MLE) via a stop at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) in Dubai. These 64-seat all-business class flights are set to commence on December 16.
However, there is currently uncertainty surrounding the future of Beond, after it emerged that it has not paid its employees for several months but is still asking them to work. Given the carrier’s struggles, it has put its scheduled operations on pause until at least October, casting doubt over the future of the Heathrow route. In any case, these are not flights that the average traveler would be buying tickets for.
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