Heathrow is 23 kilometers (14 miles) west of Central London and opened on March 25, 1946 as „London Airport“. In September 1966 the airport was renamed from „London Airport“ to „Heathrow Airport“. Reason was to avoid confusion with the other tow airports which serve London, „Gatwick“ and „Stansted“.

Heathrow Airport began as a small airfield in 1929 named as „Great West Aerodrome“. During World War II it was intended for long-distance military aircraft bound for the Far East in 1944. After the war, the UK Government continued to develop the site as a civil airport.