Owais Crawford
London and New York City are the only two cities in the world with six commercial airports. London's airports include Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Stansted, Luton, and Southend. New York City's airports are John F. Kennedy International (JFK), Newark-Liberty (EWR), LaGuardia (LGA), Long Island MacArthur, New York Stewart International, and Westchester County Airport.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cities with 6 commercial airports | London, New York City |
| London's airports | Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Stansted, Luton, Southend |
| New York City's airports | John F. Kennedy International (JFK), Newark-Liberty (EWR), LaGuardia (LGA), New York Stewart International, Long Island MacArthur, Westchester County |
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What You'll Learn
London's airports
London, England, is served by six international airports and several smaller airports, making it the city with the busiest airport system in the world by passenger numbers. Heathrow, London's largest airport, is considered the main gateway to the United Kingdom for non-European visitors. It has four terminals and two runways and is located in the London Borough of Hillingdon in the western suburbs. Heathrow is the third busiest airport in the world by passenger numbers, serving six continents and is the base for British Airways.
London City Airport is the closest to central London, situated in London's Docklands, four miles from Canary Wharf. The airport has a single, very short runway with a steep approach angle of 5.5 degrees. Only the smallest aircraft are permitted to use the airport, although British Airways operated a flight to New York JFK from 2009 to 2020 using an Airbus A318. The airport is popular with business travellers, serving destinations across the UK and northern Europe.
Gatwick Airport is the second-largest airport in London, with two terminals, North and South, and is located in Bedfordshire. It is connected to the motorway network via the M23 and has its own railway station, with trains serving London Victoria and London Bridge stations. Luton Airport is the fourth-largest airport, the fifth busiest in the UK, and the fourth-closest to central London. It is served by low-cost carriers easyJet and Wizz Air, and has its own railway station with connections to London St Pancras.
Stansted and Southend are London's two other international airports, with coach and train services connecting them to central London.
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New York's airports
New York City is served by six commercial airports, the most of any metropolis in the United States. Three of these are the main airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Newark-Liberty International Airport (EWR), and LaGuardia Airport (LGA). JFK, which opened in 1948 as New York International Airport, is a hub for American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and JetBlue. Newark-Liberty, meanwhile, acts as a hub for United Airlines. LaGuardia, which opened as a private airfield in 1929 and as a commercial airport in 1939, is the third-largest airport serving the New York metropolitan area.
In addition to these three major international airports, New York City is also served by three smaller, more distant airports with scheduled flights: Long Island MacArthur Airport, New York Stewart International Airport, and Westchester County Airport. New York Stewart International Airport, in particular, is known for being one of the airports that is furthest away from the city it serves, located around 71.5 miles north of New York City.
The existence of multiple airports in New York City is due to a combination of historical and functional factors. As air traffic expanded over the years, different airports were built to increase capacity and serve different areas, as well as act as hubs for different airlines. The addition of new airports also allowed for expansion in constrained areas and provided useful scheduled connections as traffic increased.
Outside of the United States, there are a few cities that come close to New York City in terms of the number of airports. Moscow, for example, has four busy international airports within 40 kilometers of the city: Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO), Domodedovo International Airport (DME), Zhukovsky International Airport (ZIA), and Vnukovo International Airport (VKO). Similarly, Tokyo has two major international airports (Narita and Haneda) and two smaller ones (Ibaraki and Chofu), while Stockholm also claims four commercial airports, including the main international Stockholm Arlanda Airport, as well as Bromma Airport, Skavsta Airport, and Vasteras Airport.
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Los Angeles's airports
Los Angeles is served by five airports with commercial air service: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), John Wayne Airport (SNA), Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), Ontario International Airport (ONT), and Long Beach Airport (LGB). LAX is the primary international airport serving the Greater Los Angeles area and is the world's eighth busiest airport. Located in the Westchester neighbourhood of Los Angeles, it is 18 miles (30 km) southwest of Downtown Los Angeles and close to the Pacific Ocean. LAX serves as a major hub for seven airlines and handled over 88 million passengers and 2 million tons of cargo in 2019.
John Wayne Airport is the second-busiest airport in the region, located in Orange County. It served as a gateway to popular tourist attractions such as the Disneyland Resort and saw 10.7 million passengers in 2019. Hollywood Burbank Airport, the smallest of the primary airports, handles only domestic flights and is the closest airport to central and northeastern parts of Los Angeles, including Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles. It is the only airport in the area with a direct rail connection to Downtown Los Angeles.
Ontario International Airport is located in the city of Ontario, east of Los Angeles, and is a convenient option for residents in the Inland Empire and the eastern San Bernardino County. Long Beach Airport is the least busy of the airports in the area, located in Long Beach, south of Los Angeles. It served 3.6 million passengers in 2019.
In addition to these five commercial airports, the Los Angeles area also hosts a major cargo airport, four military airfields, and two dozen general aviation airports, including the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) Barton Heliport and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Hooper Heliport in Downtown Los Angeles.
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Tokyo's airports
Tokyo has four airports in total: two major international airports, Narita and Haneda, and two smaller ones, Ibaraki and Chofu.
Narita International Airport (NRT) is located 60 kilometres outside of Tokyo and serves as Japan's primary international gateway. The airport features a stunning 100-metre-long glass wall, an observation deck, and a traditional Japanese garden. Narita, along with Haneda, makes Tokyo's airport system the third busiest in the world.
Haneda Airport (HND), officially known as Tokyo International Airport, is located 15 kilometres south of Tokyo Station. It is the busier of the two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area and is the primary domestic base of Japan's two largest airlines: Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways. Haneda previously served as the primary international airport for Tokyo until 1978, after which it handled almost all domestic flights until 2010. In 2010, Haneda opened a dedicated international terminal, allowing long-haul flights. Haneda has consistently been ranked as one of the best airports in the world and was named the World's Best Domestic Airport in 2020 and 2021.
Ibaraki Airport is located further from the city centre and serves as a low-cost airport for domestic and regional flights. Chofu Airport, on the other hand, is a small, central airport with limited scheduled services to the Izu Islands.
All four airports are easily accessible from the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal in Odaiba by bus or train.
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Moscow's airports
Moscow is served by four international airports, all within 40 kilometres of the city. These are Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO), Domodedovo International Airport (DME), Zhukovsky International Airport (ZIA), and Vnukovo International Airport (VKO).
Sheremetyevo International Airport is the busiest airport in Russia and the ninth busiest in Europe. It is located 29 kilometres northwest of central Moscow and comprises six terminals: four international terminals (one under construction), one domestic terminal, and one private aviation terminal. The airport was initially built as a military airfield called Sheremetyevsky in 1953 and was converted into a civilian airport in 1959. In 1991, it received legal status as a state-owned enterprise, and in 1996, it became an open joint-stock company. Sheremetyevo underwent rapid expansion in the late 2000s, including the construction of new terminals and the renovation of runways to accommodate larger aircraft.
Domodedovo International Airport, on the other hand, is a more modern and convenient airport that has been rapidly expanding. This expansion led to growing competition with Sheremetyevo in the early 2000s, attracting several airlines away from Sheremetyevo.
Zhukovsky International Airport and Vnukovo International Airport are the smaller of Moscow's four airports. Vnukovo Airport is located close to Domodedovo Airport and has also contributed to the competition faced by Sheremetyevo.
In May 2025, Moscow's airports briefly halted some flights due to the shooting down of Ukrainian drones approaching the city.
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Frequently asked questions
London and New York City both have 6 commercial airports.
London's 6 commercial airports are London City, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London Luton, London Stansted, and London Southend.
New York City's 3 main commercial airports are Newark-Liberty (EWR), LaGuardia (LGA), and John F. Kennedy International (JFK). The other 3 airports are Long Island MacArthur Airport, New York Stewart International Airport, and Westchester County Airport.
Yes, several cities have multiple commercial airports. For instance, Stockholm, Moscow, and Tokyo have 4 airports each, and Los Angeles has the maximum number of airports in its vicinity within the US after New York.
Stockholm's 4 commercial airports are Stockholm Arlanda Airport, Bromma Airport, Skavsta Airport, and Vasteras Airport.
