An Olympic welcome at Heathrow

Heathrow is pulling out all the stops this summer to give more than 19 million passengers a unique Olympic flavour to their journeys with a taste of what London 2012 has to offer.

As Official Host Airport for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Heathrow is expecting to help with the journeys of around 80 per cent of the several hundred thousand spectators due to attend including more than 100,000 athletes, sponsors and VIPs.

In addition to the usual baggage, 15 per cent of all the items that pass through Heathrow will be sporting equipment including canoes, javelins and pole vaults. The Paralympics will also see the hub airport welcome a month’s worth of wheelchair users in just one week, with 1,800 expected.

Throughout July, August and September Heathrow will serve more than 2.3 million traditional British ‘cuppas’, 23,000 sandwiches (cucumber among them) and approximately 240,000 kilos of great British chips – equivalent to the weight of seven empty Boeing 737 aircraft (1).

While the Games will bring many thousands of spectators and members of the Olympic family through Heathrow’s doors, it will be business as usual for millions more passengers using the airport to travel for business, fly home or jet off on holiday. Heathrow has put a number of initiatives in place to bring the excitement, colour and visual spectacle of the Olympics directly to them.

The airport itself will be flamboyantly ‘dressed’ for the occasion. Giant welcome and Host Airport banners will feature prominently and inspiring large-scale photography of athletes including synchronised swimmers, track cyclists and male gymnasts will line the airport’s corridors. Brightly coloured flags featuring Bearskin Guards and Beefeaters will wind along the roads around Heathrow.

The airport is encouraging passengers to look out for athletes as they make their way to the Games and enormous screens showing the events from the Olympic venues will ensure there is no danger of missing any of the sporting action. A host of other live events are planned including:

• A pre-Games appearance by the British Basketball team with the opportunity for passengers to meet the players
• Airport walkabouts by official Olympic mascots Mandeville and Wenlock in their red Beefeater and Queen’s Guard costumes
• Ping-pong tables installed on each terminal forecourt so travellers can try their hand at the game
• Giant globes to help younger travellers pinpoint key destinations
• Appearances by iconic Beefeaters and Queen’s Guards in their bearskin hats
• Live performances by the Salvation Army brass band
• Olympic-themed art exhibitions in the Terminal 5 Fine Art Gallery adding an unexpected dimension to passengers’ journeys and the opportunity to buy original pieces

Heathrow’s retailers will also be working hard to enhance passengers’ shopping experiences with lots of special offers and giveaways. There will also be a raft of brand new pop-up store openings including La Maison du Chocolat in Terminal 1, an Oakley pop-up store in Terminal 5 and official London 2012 concessions in Terminals 1 and 4.

John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow commercial director at Heathrow said: “Heathrow will be the first and last impression of London 2012 for thousands of visitors. We have worked hard to create a unique experience for our passengers, bringing the excitement and spirit of the Olympics directly to them, helping to make their journeys better and more memorable.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

1 – Operating weight of a Boeing 737-300 is 32,700 kg

The main schedule of events is as follows.