January 1946: The origins of Heathrow Airport

Heathrow was intended as a three-runway airport 72 years ago, and now those plans may finally reach fruition

Heathrow Airport had a record- breaking year in 2016 when it registered 257,922 passengers on July 31 and a total of 75.7 million airborne visitors by the end of the year.

The current site is home to two runways that handle an average 1,293 flights per day, although this will change if plans progress to build a third runway at Heathrow.

What might come as a surprise is that 72 years ago the west London airport was originally intended as a three-runway facility and in January 1946 a correspondent from The Engineer was on hand to report on how the unfinished aerodrome was passed back into civilian hands following the end of the Second World War.

“The origin of Heathrow was the need of the Royal Air Force for an airfield near London capable of handling the heaviest types of aircraft, especially in the closing stages of the war in the Far East as it was expected to develop,” our reporter said. “In planning, it was taken into account that such an airfield could be subsequently developed for civil aviation.”