Heathrow welcomes the world

10 days to go until the start of the 30th Olympic Games and the Olympic family begin to arrive at Heathrow, along with their coaches, family and a massive amount of baggage ranging from canoes to bicycles and guns.

Team members from the US Olympic team.   Photo PA

Over 500 special multi-lingual Heathrow staff and Locog volunteers will be on hand to provide a warm welcome and direct the competitors to accreditation desks, before boarding coaches to the Olympic Village in Stratford. Nearly 3,000 apartments have been arranged around courtyards, across 11 blocks and the Australian team wasted no time in settling in and erecting a large team banner across their balconies!

The Olympic Village.  Photo: Telegraph

Today, the airport is expected to handle a record number of passengers and every effort has been made to ensure everyone arrives to a very warm welcome to make up for the bleak dark skies and constant drizzle.  However when the sun does start to shine, our city will be looking stunning.

The scene at Heathrow airport today could never have been imagined when a British aircraft builder Richard Fairey, bought a 150 acre plot of land for £15,000 to build a private airport to assemble and test aircraft.  During World War II the government requisitioned the land as an air base and after the war in 1946, The Great West Aerodrome at Heath Row, was opened as London’s new airport.  Conditions were primitive, with ex-military marquees forming a tented village along the Bath Road, however these terminals did contain comfortable floral patterned armchairs and side tables with vases of fresh flowers!

Terminal 5.  Photo:  Telegraph

By 1947 three runways had been built and there was an ever increasing demand for air travel, so the construction of a new permanent building was started in 1950 and by 1986 the airport had four terminals. A major redevelopment started in 2002 resulting in the state of the art Terminal 5, brand new control tower and improved transport links.  Currently under construction is a new Terminal 2.

The new Control Tower