Although the UK has 72 airports, when you arrive here you will probably be landing at one of our major ones. Here is an overview of where each airport is located

London and the South East

Heathrow - Located to the west of the city, this airport has an express train that gets you into central London (Paddington Station) in just 15 minutes making it ideal for central, west and south-west boroughs of London. It is also the best airport for the counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire (including Oxford), west Surrey and Middlesex. Motorways: M3, M4, M40, M25

Gatwick – 30 minutes outside of London by express train (from Victoria Station), this airport is closest to South London, Croydon, Kent, east Surrey, West Sussex and East Sussex including the south coast towns of Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings, Margate, Bournemouth and Southampton.Motorways: M23, M20, M25

Luton – Located north of London, good for the north and north-west boroughs of London, has a direct train link to London’s Kings Cross Station, the home of Eurostar, and the closest airport for the counties of Buckinghamshire and Bedford. Motorways: M1, M25

Stanstead – To the east of the city, direct train into Liverpool Street Station in the heart of London’s financial district, known as ‘the City’, also the east boroughs and north east boroughs of London. This airport also services the counties of Essex and Suffolk (including Ipswich) and is the nearest one to Cambridge. Motorways: M11

London City – This is a small airport, just by the river Thames in central London. It was originally intended to service London’s business community, but has grown over the years. It is very close to the City of London and The Docklands, including Canary Wharf.

The South West 

Bristol - This is the South West’s major international airport and services Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and south Wales. Motorways: M4, M5

The Midlands 

Birmingham – Located 8 miles from Birmingham City centre, this airport is also at the centre of the UK’s motorway network. Motorways:  M1, M5, M6, M40, M42, M54

Coventry – Located just 4 miles from the city centre and 8 miles from Warwick. Motorways: M6, M40, M45, M1

East Midlands – Closest airport for the counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire. Motorway: M1

Norwich – Services Suffolk and Norfolk, including the Norfolk Broads. Motorways: none

The North 

Liverpool- 9 miles from city centre. Also services North Wales, Anglesey, Blackpool and the Lake District. Motorways: M6, M62

Manchester- 20 minutes drive from the city centre. Also links to Bolton, Wigan, Sheffield and the Peak District. Motorways: M6, M62, M65, M66

Leeds – Situated between the cities of Leeds and Bradford, this airport is also good for Yorkshire. This includes the Yorkshire Dales and Huddersfield. Motorways: M1, M62, M16, M180

Newcastle – 7 miles from the city centre, this airport is also used for Northumberland, Northumberland National Park and Sunderland.  Motorways: M1

Humberside – Located close to Grimsby and Scunthorpe. Good airport for Lincolnshire and the coastal resort of Skegness. Motorways: none

Scotland 

Edinburgh - is located 7 miles from the centre of Edinburgh, central Scotland. It is within easy access of Fife, Tayside and Aberdeenshire, and the Borders. Motorways: M8, M9, M90

Glasgow - lies 8 miles west of Glasgow city centre and is within easy reach of the rest of Scotland. Motorways: M8, M73, M74, M77

Aberdeen – Although a small airport, this is actually the world’s busiest heliport. Located just outside of the city, this is the airport for exploring the northern most parts of the UK, including Inverness. Motorways: none.

Wales 

Cardiff – 12 miles west of Cardiff city centre. This airport is conveniently situated for all Welsh regions, including the Brecon Beacons National Park, and is also close to the south west of England. Motorways: M4

By John Hillman

To be listed here click

USEFUL WORDS

north / south / east / west of the city centre 

20 minutes by train / underground / taxi / bus / coach 

local connections 

train services 

coach connections 

express service 

shuttle bus 

GRAMMAR SPOT

Direction Prepositions

towards/to

They hurried towards the baggage reclaim

They walked to the exit

at

He looked at the timetable

She waved at her mother

in/into
He walked into the airport building
The check-in desks are in the arrivals hall

off

Remember to get off the train at the correct stop for the airport

on/onto
The plane landed on the runway

Please put your bags onto the coach

out of
Lots of people are coming out of the gate

(away) from

The shuttle bus is driving away from the airport

underneath/under

The airport bus goes under the bridge

Speed Idioms

get your skates on = hurry up

take your time = don’t worry about hurrying, go at your own speed

spread like wildfire = to become known by more and more people very quickly

put the brakes on = stop or slow down a situation

as if/like there was no tomorrow = to do something a lot or as though you don’t care what effects it will have

no sooner said than done! = I’ll do it straightaway!

like a bat out of hell = very, very fast

make very good time = arrive quickly, without delays

get off to a flying start = start very well

in a flash = very quickly

at the drop of a hat = immediately, without hesitating

at a snail’s pace = very slowly

for a split second = for a very short period of time