AUTUMN 2 – Our Island Home Should Heathrow have a third runway? The UK has more than 40 airports. They support international trade (buying things from abroad) tourism and business travel. Airports are extremely important to the UK economy. (Making money for the UK) Heathrow is the largest and busiest airport in the UK. It’s also one of the busiest in the world. It is now operating at 98% capacity, meaning that there is no more room for any more aeroplanes. For many years there has been a debate about how to increase the airport capacity in the UK. One option is to build a new runway at Heathrow. Key Terms: Capacity – the maximum number that can be received. Debate – a discussion of a subject on which people have different views. Emissions – things that are released, such as carbon dioxide into the air. Greenbelt land – open land around a city, often with fields. Domestic flights – flights within a country.