How Many London Airports Are There

So, picture this: I’m at a dinner party, and someone asks, “So, how many airports does London have, anyway?” I freeze. My brain short-circuits. I think, Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted… and then my mind goes blank.

I mumbled something about “a few” and quickly changed the subject to the weather. Classic move, right? But that embarrassing moment got me thinking: How many London airports are there actually? The answer, as it turns out, is both simpler and messier than you’d expect.

The Big Six You’ve Probably Heard Of

First, let’s nail the obvious ones. Most travelers rattle off the same list: Heathrow (LHR), Gatwick (LGW), Stansted (STN), Luton (LTN), London City (LCY), and Southend (SEN). That’s six, officially branded as “London’s six international airports.”

But here’s the kicker: London City Airport is the only one actually inside the city limits. The rest are scattered across the Home Counties, with “London” attached for marketing magic. Ironic, right?

So, if you count those six, the total is six. Easy peasy. But wait—there’s more.

The “London” Sticker on Smaller Fields

Then you’ve got the little guys—airfields that slap “London” on their name but feel more like a farm strip. Think London Biggin Hill (BQH), London Oxford (OXF), or London Ashford (LYX). They handle private jets, flight training, or tiny charter planes.

Are these really “London airports”? Legally, yes—they’re registered as such. But hop a commercial flight there, and you’ll be landing in a field, not a terminal. The name is pure branding, like calling a burger “gourmet” when it comes from a gas station.

A Visitors Guide to the 6 London Airports - All you need to know

So, if you include them, the count jumps to about a dozen. But honestly, most Londoners would laugh if you called Biggin Hill a London airport. They’d say, “It’s in Kent, mate.”

Then There Are the Ghost Airports

Now we enter the weird zone. RAF Northolt (NHT) is a military base just 10 miles from central London. It handles VIP flights and the occasional discreet private jet, but no public departures. Yet, it’s listed as an airport serving the capital.

Or Blackbushe Airport (BBS)—a grass strip that was once a WWII base. It’s technically in Hampshire, but a few signs call it “London Blackbushe.” Again, branding over reality. Counting these as “London” feels like counting a shed as a mansion.

Then there’s the airport that doesn’t exist anymore: Croydon Airport. It was London’s first major airport in the 1920s, but it closed in 1959. Now it’s a housing estate. Dead airports don’t count, obviously, but they remind you how fluid the definition is.

The Unofficial Ones and the Train Stations

Let’s not forget London Heliport in Battersea. It’s a tiny helipad for rich folks and aerial photos. Is it an airport? Technically, yes—it has flights. But most people wouldn’t list it when asked.

List Of Airports In Uk: Uk Airport Map – CLIDM

And here’s my favorite curveball: some travel guides count St. Pancras International as an “airport” because it offers direct train services to Eurostar and the European mainland. Absurd? Yes. But so is calling Southend a London airport, given it’s 40 miles away and feels like a provincial bus station.

So, depending on your definition, the number ranges from six (commercial and practical) to over fifteen if you include heliports, RAF bases, and ghost strips. Your call.

Why This Confusion Matters

Here’s the takeaway: There is no single, official answer. The UK’s aviation authority lists airports by registration, not by city branding. And London isn’t one city—it’s a sprawl of boroughs, each with its own quirks.

If you’re planning a trip, stick to the big six. They’re the ones with proper baggage carousels and Pret A Mangers. But next time someone asks “How many London airports are there?” at a dinner party, you can smile knowingly and say, “It depends on how you count.”

Then watch their face melt. Works every time. Oh, and avoid changing the subject to weather—unless you’re stuck in a layover at Stansted. Then it’s fair game.