Travelling to the airport provides passengers with their first and last experience of the airport. As the airport grows, having a good transport network will be important to ensure the sustainable growth of the airport.

Congestion on the road is inconvenient for both passengers and the local community and has a negative impact on air quality and the environment. Road transport also has a significant carbon footprint and is responsible for almost a quarter of UK CO2 emissions.

Public transport must be developed to meet growing demand and the most efficient and least polluting travel options to and from the airport must be encouraged.

We want to increase the number of people who travel to and from Heathrow using public transport and have invested heavily in our surface access infrastructure to achieve this. Our surface access strategy, first published in 1999 and updated since sets our key objectives:

• Working with third party transport providers, we will seek to provide acceptable levels of service for travel to and from the airport for both air passengers and airport staff, in terms of journey time, reliability and cost
• To develop surface access strategies that are achievable and capable of being sustained within normal financial constraints and any conditions that may be laid down through the CAA’s regulatory controls
• A commitment to the use of public transport and the minimisation of the impact arising from transport activities
• To put the interests of all our surface access users, whether air passengers, staff or business visitors, at the forefront of our planning.

This strategy is supported by three key documents that set out specific aims, objectives and targets which link back to the main strategy and provide the framework for delivering initiatives aimed at reducing unnecessary car journeys. These are:

• Travel Plan Strategy 2008
• Bus and Coach Strategy 2006
• Rail Strategy 2007

Stakeholder engagement
Local stakeholders including transport users, providers and local authorities play a key role in developing, promoting and operating public transport services around the airport. At Heathrow we work with these stakeholders through the Heathrow Area Transport Forum, and the associated working groups, to agree strategies and targets.

Our performance
Our plans