Airports are beginning to promote themselves as Gateways to the Olympic Games 2012. Airlines are also making a number of claims as to being able to provide fast access to the Olympic park getting their clients to and from the games with minimum congestion. There seems to be a lot of conflicting evidence as to the best and most cost effective way of getting to the London Olympics with minimum disruption.

What do current statistics tell us about which Gateway gives best direct access to the games?

Without congestion which will come about by airspace restrictions, traffic disruption and increased usage of public transportation, we can get an idea of which airport serves the Olympic Games best by road, rail and a combination of other forms of public transport.

Let us consider how the UK airports serve the Olympic Games by car / taxi: 

The most efficient airport is London City followed by Stanstead, Biggin Hill and Heathrow, Luton, Southend and Gatwick. These figures are for zero traffic and these routes through London will be severely affected to an unknown extent by the Games itself. It is highly likely that during the period of the Games the roads will experience a degree of gridlock at times before and after the main events leading to significantly longer travel times by road.

Let us now consider arriving at a UK airport and using forms of public transport to get to the Games, which is the current recommendation by the London Olympics: 

Again, London City Airport comes top of the list by virtue of it's close proximity. It only takes 15 minutes using the Docklands Light Railway direct to the Olympic Village. But the statistics show some interesting alternatives:

By time and convenience, Southend is the second most efficient Airport to get to the Games. The Airport station has frequent trains running direct to Stratford (Olympic Village) taking 44 minutes. There are other advantages with Southend: This airport will suffer less traffic congestion and will have spare aircraft slots capacity available for charter aircraft and air taxis. Furthermore, it operates 24 hours a day and local accommodation and transport costs are significantly less than central London.

A surprise third most efficient is Lydd Airport. You can fly into Lydd, book a cheap taxi to take you along uncongested roads to Ashford Station and then go direct to Stratford International (Olympic Village) by high speed train. It is very likely that Lydd Airport will arrange a shuttle bus service during this period of time.

The statistics show that all other airports already have significantly longer journey times before considering the congestion and delays brought about by the Games. Journeys through or across London will suffer significantly due to increased network traffic of the Games itself. Onward journeys from airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick or similar regionals through London will also suffer from increased volume of passengers. Therefore, if you choose an airport outside London requiring the use of transportation through or across London you must prepare yourself for long delays and significant overcrowding.

AERO ALLIANCE advises you to be organised and choose your airport and airline or air taxi company well. If you decide to travel to the games by air, before you purchase your ticket or charter your plane, ensure your onward transport from your chosen arrival airport is straight forward, efficient and as comfortable as the flight itself.

AERO ALLIANCE pilots have already spent significant time and effort, gaining a wealth of experience regularly flying in and out of London City, London Biggin Hill, London Southend and Lydd in the last 18 months. In doing so AERO ALLIANCE has established a network of Air Taxi operators who can provide reliable and cost effective passage too and from the Games with minimal disruption through these Gateways. Why not let AERO ALLIANCE take care of your Olympic air taxi transport requirements and organise your travel too and from the games.