Heathrow Airport, one of Europe’s busiest travel hubs, is adding a creative touch to the summer travel season by turning its everyday sounds into an actual music track. Grammy-nominated musician Jordan Rakei was invited to compose a song using only real-life sounds from around the airport. The result is a four-minute ambient track titled “Music for Heathrow,” aiming to set the tone for the journeys of millions of travelers passing through this season.
Turning Terminals Into Instruments
To bring this unique idea to life, Rakei was granted rare access to explore every corner of Heathrow Airport—from terminals to airfields and even baggage handling zones. Over 50 different sounds were recorded and sampled into the track. These included the stamp of a passport, the ding of a lift, the hum of jet engines, baggage conveyor belts, and public address announcements.
“I was excited and honored to create a piece using the real soundscape of Heathrow,” said Rakei. “I wanted to capture the feeling of anticipation and movement that we associate with travel. Every beep, buzz, and clink became an instrument.”
Interestingly, Rakei didn’t stop with modern airport sounds. He incorporated pop culture references that are tied to Heathrow’s identity. These include the sound of tapping feet from a scene in the film “Bend It Like Beckham” and scanner beeping from “Love Actually,” both of which feature scenes filmed at Heathrow.
The track pays homage to Brian Eno’s iconic 1979 album, “Music for Airports,” which laid the groundwork for ambient music as a genre. Rakei’s version is a modern reinterpretation with a direct sonic connection to the airport itself.
Music to Travel By
“Music for Heathrow” is now playing in select areas of the airport and serves as more than just entertainment—it’s a way to ease travel anxiety and bring a calm, almost meditative vibe to the terminal. For the airport’s management, the project represents a fresh, artistic way to improve the traveler experience.
But that’s not all Heathrow is offering. The airport is also reviving its Friday live music performances throughout July. These events feature musicians playing in different terminals, bringing live sound and culture to an otherwise routine travel process. This initiative was introduced last year and has returned due to popular demand, aiming to entertain and uplift the estimated 250,000 passengers traveling daily.
Airports around the world are beginning to explore more creative and immersive experiences for passengers. For example, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport celebrated its 50th anniversary by hosting a rooftop concert, showing a growing trend of integrating art and music into the airport environment.
As Heathrow pushes the boundaries of what a travel experience can sound like, “Music for Heathrow” proves that innovation doesn’t always need new technology—it can come from reimagining what’s already around us.
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