Heathrow Bids Farewell to Athletes from Around the World

LONDON, ENGLAND, September 19, 2012 (Press-News.org) It has been a fantastic summer of sport for Great Britain and, as the Host Airport for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Heathrow has been the first - and last - port of call for 80 per cent of Olympic and Paralympic Games family and visitors to the UK.

Since the start of Heathrow's Games period over 75,000 journeys have been made by Paralympians, Olympians and team officials and over 2,800 wheelchairs have been processed. The airport also welcomed:

- 5,000 oversized bags including canoes, javelins, bikes, pole vault poles

- 1,300 firearms plus ammunition

- 20,000 members of the media

As the UK's only hub airport, Heathrow is used to welcoming visitors that require additional assistance and while the Olympics presented Heathrow with a challenge of volume, the Paralympic challenge has been one of complexity.

Heathrow has spent the last seven years preparing for the challenges of the Olympic and Paralympic Games: consulting previous host airports, experts Whizz-Kidz and Open Doors, and the Paralympic athletes themselves. In addition to reviewing processes and procedures, Heathrow recruited and trained staff and 1,000 volunteers, installed new ramps and lifts and sourced a specialist technician for onsite wheelchair repairs.

BAA Chief Executive, Colin Matthews, said:

"This has been a fantastic Games for London and at Heathrow, we are proud to have played our part as the host airport. I'd like to thank all our staff and the volunteers that have been working with us during this period.

"The focus is now on London 2012 legacy and many of the improvements at Heathrow will continue to benefit all our passengers for years to come."

Heathrow is now looking forward to passing the baton to the next host airports, Rio de Janeiro and Sochi and sharing our experiences of the London 2012 Games.

For more information on getting to Heathrow Airport visit us online. Access maps, terminal facilities as well as options for Heathrow Parking.

Website: http://www.heathrowairport.com

Notes to editors

In order to meet the challenge posed by the Paralympic Games, Heathrow partnered with mobility charity Whizz-Kidz. They offered first-hand, expert guidance on how to further improve the airport's accessibility. The charity audited Heathrow's terminal facilities and suggested a number of improvements, including:

Increasing the number of specialist lifts, known as ambilifts, that are used to help passengers with reduced mobility embark and disembark aircraft - Heathrow now has 12 ambilifts - more than any other airport in Europe

Extra training for staff and volunteers on the correct way to handle specialist wheelchairs and mobility equipment

Obtaining 13 scissor lifts and installing 100 new ramps to help load and unload wheelchairs

Upgrading and increasing its fleet of buggies for transporting passengers with reduced mobility through the airport to a total of 60 vehicles

Installing four new lifts to help return wheelchairs to the aircraft door

Increasing the number of lightweight aisle chairs and self-propelled wheelchairs to 38 and 20 respectively

An onsite wheelchair repair service

Installing new accessible toilets

The full detail of the of journeys through the airport during the Games is: 30,270 Olympic Games Family arrivals, 27,020 Olympic Games Family departures, 8,740 Paralympic Games Family arrivals and 9,800 expected Paralympic Games Family departures

The new facilities and additional staff training, which are part of BAA's GBP20million investment in the London 2012 Games, will continue to benefit all passengers with reduced mobility long after the last Paralympic departure.