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Heathrow has been ranked as the largest ‘megahub’ airport in Europe but still falls far behind its US counterparts, a new study reveals.
The west London hub – battling to win approval for a third runway – is ranked 13 in a new list of megahubs compiled by OAG.
US airports dominate the top 50 in terms of connectivity, with eight in the top 10 alone.
However, capacity-constrained Heathrow is found to have 50% better connectivity than its next closest European rivals, Frankfurt and Paris Charles de Gaulle airports, ranked 35 and 43 respectively.
The OAG research also indicates that the combined power of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, with their collective connectivity for connecting passengers travelling between low-cost carriers, also rivals major US hubs such as Chicago O’Hare and Chicago Midway airports.
OAG senior analyst, John Grant, said: “The importance of well-connected megahubs continues to increase alongside the need for efficient handling of ever-increasing capacity.
“We expect the megahub model will become even more prevalent as major cities add more runways and airport infrastructure to accommodate the increased capacity. These hubs are critical to global airline efficiency and play an essential role in providing travellers with more options for reaching their final destinations.”
He added: “Airports serving more regional markets with high frequency air services score as well or even better than large, high profile airports known for their long-haul international air services.
“The recent Airports Commission report highlighted the need for connectivity as a major factor in its recommendation for a third runway at Heathrow and the OAG Index reaffirms the value of connectivity at all of the major London airports.
“Contributing to the growth of megahubs are low-cost carriers and the rise in self-connecting passengers. While connections have traditionally been made between airlines through code sharing agreements, today, passengers are increasingly self-connecting between low-cost carriers.
“Many US airports, such as Chicago Midway and Las Vegas McCarran International, are beginning to facilitate connections between low-cost flights for the traveller.
“In the UK, Gatwick has recently launched a dedicated product targeted at self-connecting passengers.”