Heathrow appoints poet in residence and marks 80th anniversary with poem visible from the air
Gateway to the World, by David Larbi
Whenever I’m going to take a flight
I know the conditions are always right
The airport is where possibility lives
I can feel the whole world at my fingertips!
It is where the journey ends and begins
Where terminals, towers and workers are linked
To make sure that above, and on the ground
Each passenger is always safe and sound!
There’s a reason that millions of passengers
On the best and worst days of their lives
Pass through Heathrow in safety and comfort
Trusting that they are safe, here, to fly!
This is a place where we’re more than allowed
To have our heads up in the clouds
It’s truly special, every time we fly
To leave the ground and touch the sky!
Famous, low-key, frequent or rare
However, whenever you take to the air
For eighty years, and for many more
The gateway to the world is these airport doors!
image: Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport has marked its 80th anniversary by appointing its first Poet-in-Residence and unveiling a large-scale poem designed to be read from the skies above the airport.
The poem, “Gateway to the World” by London poet and author David Larbi, was been etched into a field near the airport using biodegradable paint ahead of the anniversary of Heathrow’s first commercial flight on 31 May 1946. According to Heathrow, the installation is only visible to passengers flying in and out of the airport.
Larbi, whose work has gained a large online following through social media platforms, spent time behind the scenes at Heathrow speaking to airport staff and observing operations before writing the piece. Heathrow said the poem was intended to reflect the airport’s role as an international gateway and recognise the people involved in running the operation.
The anniversary comes as Heathrow continues to position itself as a major global aviation hub while also pursuing long-term expansion plans and infrastructure investment. The airport handled 84.5m passengers in 2025 and now serves destinations across more than 80 countries. Heathrow said almost 3bn passengers have travelled through the airport since it opened.
The airport’s anniversary programme also includes archive displays, competitions and commemorative retail activity across its terminals. Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye said the celebrations were intended to recognise both the airport’s history and the people working across the operation today.