Britain gave the go-ahead for a third runway and another terminal at London's congested Heathrow Airport as part of a GBP9 billion pound (USD$13.2 billion) expansion, delighting the aviation industry but enraging environmentalists.

Transport Minister Geoff Hoon told parliament on Thursday that Heathrow was running at 99 percent capacity and needed to be expanded for the good of the economy.

Here are some statistics about London Heathrow:

* HISTORY:

-- The airport is named after the village or hamlet of Heathrow, which used to be roughly where Terminal 3 now stands.

-- It began as a tented village in 1946 serving 18 destinations with a handful of airlines making 9,000 flights a year.

-- The first departure was on New Year's Day 1946 to Buenos Aires via Lisbon, the first refueling stop on a long-haul flight to open up Britain's first air link with South America.

-- Heathrow's first terminal for short haul flights opened in 1955. Originally known as the Europa Building, it is now known as Terminal 2.

-- Terminal 1 was formally opened in 1969 by Queen Elizabeth II. Terminal 3 opened in 1961 and Terminal 4 in 1986.

-- The public inquiry into the fifth terminal was the longest in British planning history, lasting nearly four years. It was submitted in February 1993 but construction did not actually begin until summer 2002.

The terminal opened in March 2008 amid chaotic scenes of flight delays and lost baggage, although it is currently said to be working well.

* KEY NUMBERS:

-- Heathrow serves over 180 destinations in more than 90 countries.

-- 90 airlines have made Heathrow their base.

-- There are two main runways. The northern one is 3,902 meters long. The southern is 3,658 meters.

-- According to BAA traffic statistics, just under 67 million passengers used Heathrow in 2008.

-- The airport's runways are 99 percent full although the opening of Terminal 5 has eased capacity in the buildings.

-- There are around 478,000 flights a year, capped at 480,000. This would be increased to 600,000 in the event of a third runway.

-- The most popular destination is New York.

-- Some 72,000 people work at the airport, 4,500 of them directly employed by BAA.