Fast-track Olympic scheme could cause airport delays
A new scheme to fast-track Olympic athletes, coaches and officials through Heathrow for London 2012 could mean delays for other fliers.
With immigration staff transferred from their normal duties, Border Agency policy documents warn the process could cause huge delays, reports the Daily Mail.
But a spokesman for the airport, which is an official Olympics sponsor, insisted it would cope with the massive influx.
Up to 80 per cent of foreign Olympics visitors will go through Heathrow – including athletes, kit, officials, sponsors, media and spectators.
Those who have not registered in advance will have their fingerprints and photographs checked against lists of potential terrorists and criminals.
The day after the closing ceremony – August 13 – is expected to be Heathrow’s busiest ever day.
About 218,000 bags should leave the airport, compared with a previous record of 160,000.
A Heathrow spokesman said: ‘Around 15 per cent of the bags will be outsize sporting equipment such as canoes, vaulting poles or bikes, which cannot be processed through normal baggage systems.
‘Options being considered to manage the extra demand include baggage drop facilities at the Olympic village, shipping some baggage as freight, and construction of a temporary “Olympic terminal” which would be taken down after the Games.’
Diane
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