Area of Responsibility

The area of responsibility for Heathrow includes the Heathrow Radar Manoeuvring Area (RMA) and the airspace within 40nm of Heathrow, from the time and place at which:

  • Arriving aircraft are released by area until control is transferred to Aerodrome Control (ADC)
  • Aircraft approaching from outside controlled airspace cross the boundary of controlled airspace until control is transferred to Aerodrome Control (ADC)
  • Departing aircraft, on specified routes, are transferred from Heathrow ADC, until they are transferred to the appropriate area sector
  • Over flying aircraft are transferred from an adjacent sector, until such time as control is either returned to the previous sector or passed onto another sector.

The Heathrow approach function is divided into 3 positions; Intermediate Director North (INT N), Intermediate Director South (INT S) and Final Director (FIN). INT N is responsible for the Bovingdon (BNN) and Lambourne stacks (LAM) - INT S is responsible for the Biggin (BIG) and Ockham (OCK) stacks.

The two intermediate directors are responsible for taking traffic from their respective holding stacks and combining them into a single stream to be handed to the Final Director. The Final Director takes these two streams and merges the traffic to establish on the ILS in a safe and expeditious manner.

Heathrow is also responsible for the Intermediate Approach function for Northolt (EGWU)

A subsidiary task of Heathrow is to provide a service to Special VFR traffic operating within the London Control Zone.


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