Olympic terminal for Heathrow

Work is progressing fast now on the temporary Olympic departures terminal for athletes only at Heathrow.  It is located on the south side of the airport between Terminal 4 and British Airways World Cargo with the entrance on Sealand Road.

The plan is to divert over 10,000 passengers, 37,000 bags and a significant number of coach movements from the main terminals with it reaching its peak on Monday 13 August, the day after the closing ceremony of the main Olympics.

Olympians inbound will go through normal border controls but for departures they will be able to check-in at the accommodation village and then take a coach. 

The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be Heathrow’s biggest ever challenge.  In terms of numbers, with no actual increase in aircraft movements, that will not be the problem.  Arrivals will be spread out over a period but departing participants will be concentrated into a very short period.  The proximity of Westfield shopping centre to the main village might be OK for retailers but is bad news for the airlines. Two bags inbound and five in the other direction is expected from every athlete. www.baa.com

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