Heathrow Airport's chief executive has attributed part of the airport's crowding problem to a clash of walking conventions, with British passengers keeping left and foreign travellers keeping right. Thomas Woldbye, the Danish boss, said the differing directional habits cause collisions and contribute to a sense of congestion, particularly in Terminal 5.
Speaking at the Aviation Club UK, Woldbye explained that while Heathrow handles more passengers in a smaller area than comparable European hubs, the issue is compounded by cultural differences. 'The problem is that all the British people keep to the left and normally Europeans keep to the right. And they do that in both directions. So we can be crashing into each other,' he said.
Woldbye suggested that simple measures, such as ensuring passengers keep left in one direction and right in the other, could alleviate the problem. The comments come as Heathrow pursues plans for a third runway, which could add 40 million passengers annually. Woldbye warned that even with expansion, London will lose market share to rival hubs over the next decade.
Heathrow is also addressing environmental concerns by accelerating the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The airport has established an £80m fund, financed through landing charges, to subsidise airlines using SAF beyond the minimum mandated by the UK government. Heathrow aims to achieve a 5.6% SAF blend in 2026, exceeding the national target of 3.6%.
Matt Gorman, Heathrow's director of sustainability, said the airport is using its scale to attract SAF and stimulate domestic production. Duncan McCourt of industry group Sustainable Aviation noted that government pledges to build five UK fuel plants by 2025 were optimistic, with none yet under construction, but progress is being made.
