Commercial Property to Rent: Heathrow Best Choice Post-COVID?

When it comes to commercial property to rent, Heathrow in West London has always been in high demand in terms of location. One of the fundamental reasons for this is the fact that Heathrow Airport plays such a vitally important role in international commerce. Here we take a look at why Heathrow could well prove to be the best location for a global business.

International travel and the aviation industry, in general, have been hit incredibly hard as a result of the COVID-19 situation. With Virgin Atlantic announcing the end of its operation at Gatwick Airport, and talk of British Airways following suit, these are very worrying times for the West Sussex-based international flight hub.

Heathrow Airport on the other hand - whilst it has scaled back its operation by closing one of its two runways temporarily - has so far not experienced such a threat. For this reason, the West London-based transport hub could well be considered the most viable location for international businesses. Once the lockdown regime starts to ease worldwide, and global travel restrictions are downgraded, a global company in the area will benefit greatly.

Let's look at why this is likely to be the case, starting with some interesting statistical facts about the airport.

Facts about Heathrow Airport

Heathrow served 80.8 million passengers in 2019. There were a total of 475,624 aircraft movements at the West London site in 2018 according to its website. But for this airport, it's not just about leisure travel.

Some £106 billion of goods were handled at Heathrow in 2016, making the airport the UK's largest port by value. What's more, 28 of the top 29 world cities ranked by GDP can be accessed directly by Heathrow, making it a crucially important nucleus for international commerce.

Heathrow Airport is used by over 80 airlines flying to 185 destinations in 84 countries. The most popular destinations are New York JFK, Dubai, Dublin, Amsterdam and Hong Kong. Of course, these statistics were filed before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Still, when compared to the other London airports, the difference is quite noticeable.

London Gatwick Airport, for example, served 46.6 million passengers in 2019, with 280,700 aircraft movements. In the same year, London Stansted Airport served 28.49 million passengers, London Luton Airport 17 million, London City Airport 5 million and London Southend 2 million passengers. So it is clear to see how far ahead Heathrow Airport is when it comes to capacity and popularity.

Prime location

When it comes to commercial property to rent Heathrow is a truly prime location for the international business. There is a vast range of office space and opportunities for retail companies in the area. For firms operating within the transport and logistics sector, Heathrow is one of the best choices simply by way of its location.

The area is brimming with a host of recruitment agencies, educational establishments and business consultants too, meaning that support of all kinds is readily on hand.

Excellent accessibility

An array of excellent transport links serves Heathrow.
Heathrow Central Railway Station provides a non-stop service to and from Paddington Station in Central London. The London Underground serves four of its five terminals. The M4, M25, A4 and A30 all make the location easily accessible by road. And when Crossrail is completed, Heathrow will link directly with a large portion of east London.

Exceptional opportunity

Heathrow Airport's Initial Business Plan suggests that its planned expansion for 2022-2036 'will connect all of Britain to global growth, putting it at the heart of the global economy for generations to come.'

Locating at Heathrow opens the way for an exceptional opportunity. For the business that isn't already trading internationally, such close proximity to a global audience presents an incredibly attractive prospect. For those businesses that do already have established trade relations with overseas customers and suppliers, expansion is a very viable option at Heathrow. This is courtesy of easy access to a far wider audience across many more countries.

All in all, Heathrow is an exciting place to be doing business. So many industry sectors can benefit from all it has to offer.

For Commercial Property to Rent, Heathrow Makes the Perfect Choice

If you aim to rent an office, Heathrow has much to offer. The Mille, for example, is a recently refurbished landmark building located on the Great West Road in Brentford in West London, very close to Heathrow and all its many commercial advantages.

Would you like to learn more about renting an office in Heathrow? Why not contact one of our sole agents to arrange a viewing at The Mille?

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