Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in Europe, and between the 12 months between November 2023 and November 2024, the airport handled about 84 million passengers.
A staggering amount, only possible with careful planning, careful management and dedication from lots of different people from different works of the industry.
So how does the airport that has over 80,000 employees run smoothly? Lets get to that.
Firstly, it’s important to discuss why it’s absolutely vital that Heathrow Airport runs smoothly, and that late departures, and other disturbances are minimized.
Why is it vital that Heathrow runs smoothly and on time?
Firstly, Heathrow Airport is a major hub for the British economy, and disruptions cause major knock on effects, especially accounting for the fact that Heathrow Airport is already operating at 98-99% of its maximum capacity.
Every delayed departure has a knock on effect, companies have to pay fines, passengers become unhappy, flight attendants have to work off-schedule, and the list goes on. The fact is that delays are detrimental to Heathrow.
Passenger Experience Managers
Now, when there are delays, or passengers miss their flights, passengers get angry, and someone needs to tend to them and ensure their satisfaction, which is where passenger experience managers come in.
Their main duty is to assist distressed passengers, or passengers that need help due to confusion. They are essential to the proper functioning of Heathrow, as around 84 million passengers pass through the airport a year, and some PAX are bound to be unhappy.
Aircraft Technicians
As passengers, we don’t always realise if/when there are any defects with our aircraft, but the pilots do, and they often don’t tell you. However, if an aircraft has defects, it isn’t deemed “air-worthy”.
When an aircraft isn’t deemed air-worthy, yet still has upcoming flights, it has to be serviced. This is the job of aircraft technicians. They ensure that any problems, big or small, get fixed and that the aircraft is ready to take off again.
Their job is extremely important, considering that a lot of aircraft experience minor issues that need fixing, and ensure that flights keep running.
Heathrow’s Armed Police
With millions and millions of passengers flying through Heathrow Airport every year, it’s vital that there is enough security to prevent any attacks and to ensure the safety of passengers.
While not immediately noticeable, their presence is a major factor to ensure that things run smoothly, and Heathrow continues running.
There is a very tight selection process for the armed police of Heathrow. Normally, a police officer has to have served in the normal police for a few years, and then be given the necessary training for them to be able to serve on duty at the airport.
This is because policing Heathrow Airport is a very different experience compared to policing the streets, and the chances of criminals committing crimes in Heathrow is much larger than elsewhere (considering that Heathrow is a major hub for transport, so smugglers and other criminals can use it to their advantage) which means that the police have to keep their eyes peeled for specific things.
Finally, all of these things come together to make sure that flights run smoothly, passengers are safe, aircraft are airworthy, and ultimately, that passengers are happy.
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