Air Freight from Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Heathrow Airport (LHR) is the UK's largest airport by cargo value and one of the world's most important international gateways for high-value and time-sensitive goods.
In 2025, approximately £293 billion worth of goods passed through Heathrow, representing more than a quarter of all UK trade by value. More than 1.59 million tonnes of cargo passed through the airport across those trade flows.
For businesses exporting and importing goods, Heathrow offers access to more than 230 destinations across over 85 countries and regions, with more than 110 long-haul routes and 77 international airlines.
For companies in the Midlands and Golden Triangle, Heathrow is also an important alternative to East Midlands Airport and Birmingham Airport when the required international routing, airline or destination makes Heathrow the appropriate gateway.
Need Air Freight from Heathrow?
Whether you're moving urgent commercial cargo, high-value goods, components or international stock, WSUK can help with the UK road logistics surrounding your shipment.
What is the airport code for Heathrow?
The IATA airport code for Heathrow is:
LHR
Heathrow is located in west London, within the London Borough of Hillingdon and close to Hounslow, Harmondsworth, Harlington and Longford.
Its central position within the UK's motorway and road network makes it an important logistics location as well as an international passenger airport.
When did Heathrow Airport open?
Heathrow's history begins long before the modern airport.
In 1930, British aircraft engineer Richard Fairey purchased approximately 150 acres from the Vicar of Harmondsworth for £15,000.
He established Great West Aerodrome, originally intended for aircraft assembly and testing.
The site subsequently became involved in wartime aviation.
During the Second World War, land around the ancient village of Heath Row was requisitioned and developed for military aviation.
Following the end of the war, the planned RAF aerodrome was no longer required.
Instead, the site was transferred to the Air Ministry to become London's new civil airport.
Heathrow opened as London Airport
The airport's first commercial operation began in 1946.
Heathrow officially opened to passengers on 25 March 1946, initially operating under the name London Airport.
The first aircraft to take off was a converted Lancaster bomber named Starlight, which flew to Buenos Aires.
The airport's first terminals were very different from today's buildings.
Passengers initially used a collection of former military marquees known as the “tented village”, located along the Bath Road.
In Heathrow's first operational year, around 63,000 passengers travelled through the airport.
By 2025, Heathrow had grown to handle 84.5 million passengers, making the transformation over eight decades extraordinary.
The airport was renamed Heathrow in 1966.
From a wartime airfield to a global cargo gateway
Heathrow's growth wasn't simply about passengers.
The airport became increasingly important for international trade.
Today Heathrow describes itself as the UK's largest port by value, with more than a quarter of UK trade by value passing through the airport in 2025.
This is particularly important for goods where speed and access to international markets matter.
A shipment arriving at Heathrow isn't simply entering an airport.
It is entering one of the UK's most significant international trade gateways.
How much cargo does Heathrow handle?
The latest CAA figures provide a detailed breakdown.
During 2025, Heathrow handled:
1,549,027 tonnes of freight
That consisted of:
Passenger aircraft: 1,486,569 tonnes
Cargo aircraft: 62,458 tonnes
Total: 1,549,027 tonnes.
This is an important distinction.
Unlike East Midlands Airport, where dedicated cargo aircraft account for the vast majority of recorded freight tonnage, Heathrow's cargo operation is heavily integrated with its huge passenger network.
Cargo can therefore travel in the belly hold of passenger aircraft as well as on dedicated freighter aircraft.
Heathrow's cargo in 2025
The CAA data shows total freight at Heathrow increased by approximately 1% compared with 2024.
Total freight rose from:
1,536,362 tonnes in 2024
to:
1,549,027 tonnes in 2025.
However, dedicated cargo-aircraft freight fell during the same period.
Cargo aircraft freight decreased from approximately 82,181 tonnes to 62,458 tonnes.
The majority of Heathrow's freight therefore continues to travel on passenger aircraft.
Shipping High-Value or Time-Sensitive Cargo?
Heathrow handles a huge volume of international trade and provides access to an extensive global network.
Tell WSUK your collection location, destination, weight and dimensions.
How much is Heathrow cargo worth?
Cargo volume isn't the only way to measure Heathrow's importance.
In 2025, £293 billion worth of goods passed through Heathrow.
That represented more than 25% of all UK trade by value.
Around £166 billion of goods arrived into the UK through Heathrow during the year.
The airport estimates that an average Heathrow flight carries around £600,000 of cargo.
This helps explain why Heathrow is particularly important for high-value goods where the financial cost of delays can be significant.
What types of cargo move through Heathrow?
Heathrow's cargo infrastructure supports a wide variety of specialist shipments.
This includes:
- High-value goods
- Pharmaceuticals
- Medical products
- Electronics
- Engineering components
- Aerospace products
- Automotive components
- Commercial goods
- Perishable products
- Live animals
- Time-sensitive shipments
The airport has specialist facilities covering areas including high-value cargo, express processing and pharmaceutical storage. It also has five official Border Control Posts for plants, food and live animals.
Heathrow and pharmaceutical air freight
Pharmaceutical logistics is one area where Heathrow's infrastructure is particularly important.
Temperature-sensitive medicines can require carefully controlled handling throughout the supply chain.
Heathrow provides specialist pharmaceutical storage capability as part of its cargo proposition.
For pharmaceutical and healthcare businesses, the choice of airport can therefore involve much more than simply looking at flight frequency.
Cargo handling facilities, customs processes, specialist storage and onward transportation can all matter.
Heathrow's global network
Heathrow currently serves more than:
230 destinations
across:
85+ countries and regions
The airport also has:
110+ long-haul routes
and:
77 international airlines.
For UK exporters, this provides a significant choice of international connections.
It can be particularly valuable when a shipment needs to reach a destination that isn't served directly from one of the UK's regional airports.
Heathrow and international trade
The relationship between Heathrow and UK trade is particularly significant.
Unlike an airport that primarily serves a local catchment area, Heathrow functions as a major international hub.
Businesses throughout Britain can move goods into the Heathrow logistics network before those goods continue to destinations around the world.
That creates a supply chain such as:
UK business
↓
Collection
↓
Road transport
↓
Heathrow
↓
International air freight
↓
Destination country
↓
Customs
↓
Final delivery
For high-value or time-sensitive products, the speed of this chain can be critical.
Road links to Heathrow
Heathrow has some of the UK's strongest motorway connections.
The airport can be accessed from the:
M4
Heathrow's main western approach.
M25
Providing access around London and connecting Heathrow with the wider UK motorway network.
M3
Providing access towards Hampshire, Surrey and the South Coast.
A4
Providing local access through west London.
Heathrow's own directions identify M4 Junction 4 and M25 Junctions 14 and 15 as key approaches to the airport.
For logistics operators, this road connectivity is particularly important.
Heathrow and the M25
The M25 provides Heathrow with one of its most important strategic road connections.
Businesses approaching from the Midlands can use the M40 and M25, while freight coming from the north and east can connect into the orbital motorway network.
For cargo operators, this allows Heathrow to function as part of a much wider national road network.
The airport isn't isolated from the rest of the UK.
It is directly connected to the motorway system.
Heathrow and the M4
The M4 is particularly important for businesses travelling from the west.
The motorway provides connections towards:
- Reading
- Slough
- Swindon
- Bristol
- South Wales
Heathrow's proximity to the M4 also places the airport close to major business and industrial areas west of London.
Air freight from the Golden Triangle to Heathrow
For businesses in the Golden Triangle, Heathrow can provide another international air-freight option alongside East Midlands Airport and Birmingham Airport.
A shipment from:
can be collected by road and transported to Heathrow before continuing internationally.
The appropriate airport will depend on the cargo, destination, available flight, airline and required service.
Heathrow versus East Midlands Airport
The two airports have very different cargo profiles.
East Midlands Airport handled 382,747 tonnes of freight in 2025, according to CAA data, with virtually all of it carried on cargo aircraft.
Heathrow handled 1,549,027 tonnes, but the vast majority was carried on passenger aircraft.
That doesn't mean one airport is automatically better.
It means they serve different logistics requirements.
EMA can be particularly attractive for dedicated cargo and express freight.
Heathrow can be particularly valuable when businesses need access to its huge passenger network and global destination choice.
Heathrow versus Birmingham Airport
Birmingham Airport handled 59,286 tonnes of freight in 2025, including 44,445 tonnes carried on cargo aircraft.
For businesses in the Midlands, the choice between Birmingham, East Midlands and Heathrow can therefore depend on:
- Collection location
- Destination
- Airline
- Cargo type
- Available capacity
- Transit time
- Handling requirements
- Customs
- Overall logistics cost
The closest airport isn't always the best airport for a particular shipment.
Heathrow's cargo facilities
Heathrow's cargo proposition includes specialist infrastructure designed around different types of freight.
The airport currently highlights:
- High-value cargo facilities
- Express processing
- Pharmaceutical storage
- Five Border Control Posts
- Live-animal handling capability
- Cargo handling partnerships
- Digital cargo systems
- Automated handling initiatives.
This makes Heathrow particularly relevant for complex international cargo.
Heathrow's cargo strategy and upgrades
Heathrow is continuing to invest in its cargo infrastructure.
Its current cargo strategy focuses on three areas:
Grow volume and market share
The airport plans to enhance cargo partnerships and develop facilities including Shoreham and Sandringham.
Increase efficiency
Plans include greater use of digital systems, improved airside cargo movement and automated cargo handling.
Improve the cargo environment
The strategy also includes reducing HGV impacts and improving safety and working conditions.
Heathrow cargo tunnel refurbishment
Infrastructure improvements aren't limited to new buildings.
Heathrow's 2025 annual report records the refurbishment of its cargo tunnel, which was intended to improve reliability and reduce delays.
For a major airport handling huge volumes of international freight, relatively small infrastructure improvements can have a significant operational effect.
Need a Heathrow Collection or Delivery?
WSUK can support the road transport surrounding your international air-freight shipment, connecting UK businesses with major airport gateways.
Heathrow's future cargo capacity
Heathrow's longer-term expansion plans include significant investment in cargo infrastructure.
The airport's current proposal says existing cargo capacity could increase by 50% through additional freight warehouses to the south of the airport.
The proposal also includes direct access to airside cargo handling and a planned truck park intended to better manage HGV traffic serving the cargo operation.
Heathrow has separately said its wider investment programme could increase freight capacity by 20%.
These figures relate to different investment and expansion proposals, so they shouldn't be treated as one single confirmed capacity increase.
Heathrow's 2026 investment programme
Heathrow announced plans to spend approximately £1.3 billion during 2026 as part of its wider investment programme.
The programme includes improvements to terminals and baggage infrastructure, alongside wider airport investment.
The airport's longer-term development therefore involves both passenger and cargo infrastructure.
Heathrow and the local area
Heathrow sits within a part of west London with a fascinating history.
The airport takes its name from Heath Row, a former hamlet that existed before the modern airport was built.
The surrounding area includes historic villages such as:
- Harmondsworth
- Harlington
- Longford
- Sipson
The development of Heathrow fundamentally changed the geography of west London.
An area once dominated by agricultural land became home to one of the world's most important aviation and logistics hubs.
Harmondsworth and the Great Barn
One of the most interesting historic landmarks close to Heathrow is Harmondsworth Great Barn.
The medieval timber-framed barn dates from the early 15th century and is one of the finest surviving medieval barns in England.
It provides a striking contrast to the modern airport nearby.
Within a few miles, visitors can see:
Medieval agricultural architecture
alongside
International runways and cargo aircraft
That contrast reflects how dramatically the area has changed over the last century.
Heathrow and the A4
The A4 has historically been one of the major routes through west London and into the Heathrow area.
The road runs through places including Hounslow and extends west towards Slough and beyond.
The development of Heathrow alongside the A4, M4 and M25 has helped create one of the UK's most significant transport corridors.
Heathrow and the Midlands supply chain
Although Heathrow is in west London, its influence extends far beyond the capital.
Businesses in the Midlands can use Heathrow as part of their international supply chain when the destination and freight service make it appropriate.
For example:
Golden Triangle warehouse
→ Collection
→ M1 / M40 / M25
→ Heathrow
→ International flight
→ USA / Asia / Europe / worldwide
This is particularly relevant for businesses that need access to Heathrow's extensive long-haul network.
Air freight from Heathrow to the USA
The USA is one of the most important international markets connected to Heathrow.
The airport's extensive long-haul network provides access to major US destinations.
Depending on the current airline and cargo service, businesses can move goods towards markets including:
- New York
- Chicago
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Miami
- Dallas
- Houston
- Los Angeles
- San Francisco
- Washington
The exact routing should always be confirmed against the current freight service and shipment requirements.
Air freight from Heathrow to China
Heathrow also provides extensive access to Asian markets.
For businesses importing or exporting between the UK and China, the airport's long-haul network can provide a significant range of routing options.
Again, the most appropriate airport depends on the specific shipment, available capacity and required delivery timeframe.
Why Heathrow matters to UK businesses
The scale of Heathrow's cargo operation can be difficult to appreciate until the figures are put together.
In 2025:
£293 billion of goods
passed through the airport.
1.59 million tonnes
of cargo passed through Heathrow across those trade flows.
The airport served:
230+ destinations
across:
85+ countries and regions.
And Heathrow's network included:
110+ long-haul routes.
For businesses requiring international connectivity, those numbers explain why Heathrow remains such an important part of Britain's logistics infrastructure.
Air Freight from Heathrow with WSUK
For businesses using Heathrow Airport for air freight, the flight itself is only one part of the journey.
Cargo still needs to be collected from the business, manufacturer, warehouse or distribution centre and delivered to the appropriate Heathrow cargo facility.
WSUK supports businesses across the Midlands and wider UK with logistics services including:
- Air-freight collections and deliveries
- Warehouse storage
- Pallet storage
- Fulfilment
- Transport
- Distribution
- Contract logistics
- Same-day logistics
For businesses in the Golden Triangle, Heathrow can provide an important alternative international gateway when its airline network and destination coverage suit the shipment.
If you require regular collections or deliveries connected with Heathrow, speak to WSUK about your logistics requirements.
Request an Air Freight Quote
Moving cargo from the Midlands through Heathrow?
Send WSUK your collection postcode, destination, cargo description, weight and dimensions and we'll help you establish the appropriate logistics solution.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the airport code for Heathrow?
The IATA airport code for Heathrow Airport is LHR.
When did Heathrow Airport open?
Heathrow officially opened as London's new civil airport on 25 March 1946, initially operating as London Airport. It was renamed Heathrow in 1966.
How much freight does Heathrow handle?
Heathrow handled 1,549,027 tonnes of freight in 2025, according to CAA statistics.
How much is Heathrow's cargo worth?
More than £293 billion of goods passed through Heathrow during 2025, representing more than a quarter of UK trade by value.
How many runways does Heathrow have?
Heathrow has two runways. The Northern Runway is 3,902 metres long and the Southern Runway is 3,658 metres long.
Does Heathrow handle dedicated cargo aircraft?
Yes. CAA figures show 62,458 tonnes of freight were carried on cargo aircraft at Heathrow during 2025, alongside more than 1.48 million tonnes carried on passenger aircraft.
What roads connect Heathrow?
Heathrow has major connections with the M4 and M25, with key access points including M4 Junction 4 and M25 Junctions 14 and 15.
Is Heathrow suitable for high-value cargo?
Yes. Heathrow provides specialist high-value cargo, express-processing and pharmaceutical facilities.
Can WSUK collect cargo for Heathrow?
WSUK supports businesses with the road logistics surrounding air-freight movements, including collections and deliveries connected with Heathrow and other major UK airports.