A golden opportunity

London is set to host the world’s largest sporting event from 27 July to 12 August. Around 7.7 million tickets have been sold or are still to be distributed for the 2012 Olympics, and a further 1.5 million spectators are expected to watch the Paralympic Games that follow.

Research commissioned two years ago by the UK Department for Transport (DfT) indicated that well over half a million international visitors will attend the event, though there is an element of finger-in-the-wind to this. The fact that sponsors, many of them global names, have taken 750,000 tickets to give away or put up as competition prizes suggests the final figure may well be higher.

Some 65% of foreign visitors, or at least 300,000 people, will arrive by air. The great majority will fly with scheduled airlines, but the large numbers of VIPs, including customers of blue-chip companies, sponsors’ guests, senior officials, wealthy private ticket holders and an expected 150 heads of state, will travel by private aircraft.

The most likely result is that the Games will generate 3,000 inbound business jet flights, which with internal repositioning and departures will equate to 10,000 movements. Operators believe, however, that the trend at past Olympics does not offer a reliable guide since London is so much more accessible from all parts of the world than recent host cities Sydney, Athens and Beijing.

“It’s important from the aviation aspect to create a good first and last impression of London,” says Brandon O’Reilly, CEO of TAG Farnborough Airport. “At Heathrow, it will be business as usual, but we’re the bespoke part of the pie. We must get flights in and out safely and efficiently. The world is watching.”

The government’s objectives are to fully accommodate Olympics demand, to help ensure a positive visitor experience, to maintain the highest standards of safely and security, and to disrupt normal business as little as possible. One of the key issues for the aviation community is that even in normal times, the southern UK has some of the most crowded airspace in the world.

Marwan Khalek, CEO of the business aviation charter, management and maintenance company Gama Aviation, says London is one of the most difficult cities for business visitors in terms of airport access. Other business centres may lack its base infrastructure, but access is generally easier, he claims.

Phil Dykins, the DfT’s head of international air services, admits that uncertain demand and late decision-making represent challenges for the UK authorities. And with no new airports or runways coming on stream, south-east England will have to manage with its existing runway and slot capacity, though Dykins says it is more of an airspace than a runway issue.

The Home Office, Ministry of Defence, UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), National Air Traffic Service (NATS) and Airport Coordination Ltd (ACL) have spent more than 18 months considering airspace management for the Olympic period. ACL manages slot allocations and coordination of schedules at major UK airports including London’s main four – Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and London City. 

A prohibited zone over central London allows access only to commercial aircraft using these four airports, broadcasters and the emergency services. The scheme developed for the Olympics brings an additional 36 airports – those with the potential to impact on south-east England’s controlled airspace – into a temporary slot allocation and booking system. Between 21 July and 15 August, no IFR arrivals into or departures from these airports will be permitted without a pre-booked slot.

The same rules apply to everyone, including flights carrying heads of state and VVIPs, though Dykins says late changes to booked schedules may be possible subject to availability. ACL will operate round the clock during the Olympics.

Slot coordination will protect both scheduled and non-scheduled traffic from disruption due to congested airspace, facilitate orderly and efficient use of available airport capacity and minimise the risk of airborne terrorist attack, Dykins adds.

The business aviation community was critical of draft restrictions issued for consultation by the government in 2010, but airports, charter operators and air taxi companies are satisfied that the modified measures are workable.

“The UK has shown great foresight in talking about this so far ahead,” says Martin Hill, recruited by Gama as a dedicated air traffic specialist in preparation for the Olympics.

Hill, who has 30 years’ experience as an air traffic controller and supervisor at the London Air Traffic Control centre, adds: “I can’t remember such a proactive approach. They were keen to avoid problems that have arisen at previous major sporting events.”

The CAA advises that charter operators, many of which will be flying into the UK for the first time, must brief themselves on UK airspace structures and the rules that apply even in normal times. They need to be aware of the need for timed slots during the Olympics, even at smaller airports in the controlled zone.

The CAA was scheduled to publish on 23 February an Aeronautical Information Circular detailing the temporary routings and controlled airspace.

In March, NATS will publish a new 1:500,000 scale VFR chart for south-east England, and will supply all pilots who buy the regular chart with a complimentary same-scale chart of the Olympic restrictions and changes.

Copies of this will also be available for free download from airspacesafety.com/olympics. The official latitudes and longitudes for the temporary airspace restrictions around London, as well as Weymouth, where the sailing events will take place, and the other Olympic venues can be found at the same website. Details of the smaller restricted airspace zone that will apply between 16 August and 12 September for the Paralympics, which follow on from the main event, are also provided there.

Airports and operators will be notified of any routings and holding patterns ahead of the publication of the new chart, but most of the detail is already contained in the approved consultion document and little significant further change is expected.

“There could be some extended routings and flight times for all operators and increased airborne holding at peak times,” Hill says. “Aircraft inbound to Southend and Biggin Hill will route to a holding area northwest of Ramsgate in Kent. For Farnborough, Oxford, Blackbushe and Fairoaks airports there will be a holding area near Boscombe Down, Wiltshire.”

An unexpected bonus for Farnborough, 55km south-west of London, where Gama has its headquarters, is that one of the new routings will shorten the usual approach time for transatlantic flights. Flights arriving from south-west France, Spain, the Balearics and north Africa will be re-routed, lengthening the journey time, but Gama’s director of client relations, Trevor Jones, says this will affect only around 10% of flights into Farnborough.

Routings into some airports could be significantly longer than usual, and Jones warns that this will affect fuelling and payload, especially for smaller business jets.

“Quotes must factor in the potential cost increase. The last thing we want is for companies is to under-price themselves,” he says. “We’re actively encouraging people to come here. This is an opportunity for the business aviation community to show what it can do. Some brokers may be tempted to take the lowest price, and when operators who thought they had a competitive edge are forced to go back to the client because they find they can’t fly at the price, it could give negative feedback about the whole industry.”

One question that was still to be resolved as EVA went to press, however, was whether the CAA will designate a diversion airport within the London area for business jets during the Olympics.

“As most of the usual diversion airfields will be slotted, operators may have to nominate alternatives away from the London area. It is possible that a mothballed military aerodrome in the south-east may be made available,” Hill says.

He points out that in most cases a pilot would probably opt for an additional 20-minute hold rather than diverting if there is a problem on approach. A more complex issue is what happens if a runway goes down at Heathrow, which will have an immediate impact on airspace right across the region, but NATS is understood to have carried out extensive simulations of various what-if scenarios.

Another aspect that remains unclear at this stage is the extra security measures that will be required. The DfT and the UK Border Agency have yet to make a decision on which types and sizes of aircraft will face passenger screening.

Owners and operators were already making enquiries to Gama offices in the US and the Middle East before Christmas, though Jones says these were “not yet translating into firm bookings”. In January the company began getting out and talking to brokers. “They’re the secret to feeding information out into the operating environment,” he says.

As bookings start to increase, Jones expects surprise on the part of clients that they can’t transfer by helicopter direct to the main Olympic park. “Large families from the Middle East or Asia may want to land and head straight to the Games, but they will have to go by chauffeur-driven car or VIP bus.

“The industry is concerned about surface transport to and from the Olympic stadium,” he comments. “London is going to be extremely busy during the games and anyone doing business in the City could be affected."