June 10, 2026
The Airports of the United Kingdom: From Heathrow to Remote Highland Strips
The United Kingdom has over 150 airports and airfields, from Heathrow — one of the world's busiest — to tiny island strips serving Scotland's remote communities. Here is an overview.
United Kingdom airports span an extraordinary range — from Heathrow (LHR), one of the world's top international hubs handling 80+ million passengers annually, to small grass strips on Scottish islands serving communities reachable by no other means.
London's airport system
London alone is served by five significant airports:
- LHR — Heathrow, the primary long-haul hub
- LGW — Gatwick, major base for low-cost carriers and charter flights
- STN — Stansted, northeast of London, major Ryanair base
- LTN — Luton, northwest of London
- LCY — London City, in the Docklands, serving business travelers
Scottish island airports
Some of Scotland's remote island communities are served by airports with some of aviation's shortest runways. Barra Airport (BRR) on the Outer Hebrides uses a beach as its runway — the only scheduled commercial airport in the world where the runway is covered by the sea at high tide. Loganair operates scheduled services to these remote communities as part of the Public Service Obligation (PSO) framework.
The EGXX ICAO prefix
All UK airports use the ICAO prefix EG. Heathrow is EGLL, Gatwick is EGKK, Edinburgh is EGPH, Manchester is EGCC. The E prefix covers all of northern Europe, and G specifically designates the United Kingdom.