London Heathrow Airport

Scores

Getting there

Iranians need a UK visa before travel. Three rail options: the Elizabeth line to Paddington, Bond Street and Liverpool Street in 30 to 40 minutes for 15.50 GBP; the Piccadilly line Underground in 50 to 60 minutes for a flat 5.90 GBP by contactless card; and Heathrow Express to Paddington in 15 minutes, 26 GBP on the day or from 10 GBP booked 30 days ahead. Iranian bank cards do not work on the gates, so bring a foreign contactless card or buy a ticket with cash.

Terminal and queues

Four terminals (2, 3, 4 and 5); Turkish Airlines and most Star Alliance carriers use Terminal 2, Qatar Airways and Emirates Terminal 3, British Airways Terminal 5. Every connecting passenger is screened again, and a terminal change means a free shuttle bus every 10 minutes or the free train. Iranian passports cannot use the eGates, so budget for the manual border queue. Ranked 16th in the 2026 Skytrax survey.

Connections and transit

Iranian passport holders need a Direct Airside Transit Visa even to change planes without entering the UK, unless they hold a valid visa for the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand, a permanent residence permit from one of those countries, or a valid EEA or Swiss residence permit or long-stay (category D) visa; the onward flight must leave the same day from Heathrow. Iran Air's London flights stopped after the UK ended its air services agreement with Iran in 2024, so Iranians arrive via Istanbul, Doha or another hub.

Food, rest, SIM, prayer room

Multi-faith prayer rooms in every terminal after security, with wudu washing facilities in Terminals 3, 4 and 5; showers, water fountains and charging points across the terminals; many lounges. There is nowhere to sleep overnight inside the terminals, and food and shops are expensive.

Delays and cancellations

Heathrow reported itself the most punctual hub in Europe for 2025, with 79.7 percent of arrivals and 78.2 percent of departures on time in January to September. Eurocontrol data for the same year still put it third in Europe for air traffic delay minutes, mostly weather, and it topped SkyRefund's summer 2025 claims list. Expect delays in fog and winter storms.