# London Heathrow Airport (LHR)

> London, GB · IATA: LHR · ICAO: EGLL · Large Airport · Cargo Hub

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `LHR` |
| ICAO | `EGLL` |
| City | London |
| Country | GB |
| Type | Large Airport |
| Elevation | 25 m |
| Cargo | ✅ |
| Cargo Rank | #1 |
| GPS | 51.47060, -0.46194 |

## Description

Almost 130,000 tonnes in a single month: London Heathrow (IATA: LHR, ICAO: EGLL) lifted its February 2026 cargo throughput 4 percent year on year, extending the momentum from a record 2025 in which the airport handled about 1.59 million tonnes — more than 90 percent of it as bellyhold in passenger widebodies. British Airways with IAG Cargo and Virgin Atlantic Cargo are based here, while belly capacity from some 80 resident airlines includes Emirates SkyCargo and Qatar Airways Cargo carrying high-value flows to the Gulf and Asia. Handling concentrates in the southern cargo area, where dnata, WFS, Menzies Aviation and Swissport run the terminals; WFS is building a new warehouse rated near 160,000 tonnes a year under a 20-year tender. With slots scarce on just two runways, pure freighters largely divert to Stansted or East Midlands, leaving Heathrow the high-margin business: GDP-compliant pharmaceuticals, aerospace parts and transatlantic e-commerce. Forwarders reach the site 25 km west of central London via the M4 and M25, with the Elizabeth Line and a dense road-feeder network distributing imports across the UK and into continental Europe. 2026 is a pivotal year: after the board approved work on a third 3,500-metre runway, the government will publish a draft Airports National Policy Statement over the summer for a parliamentary vote in autumn, while £1.3 billion of terminal and baggage-system upgrades get under way. The airport targets planning consent by 2029 and first flights from the new runway around 2035.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/london-heathrow-airport-lhr](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/london-heathrow-airport-lhr)*

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*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/london-heathrow-airport-lhr/llm-summary*