2012 Summer Olympics: New Developments and Travel Tips

With the Olympic Torch Relay in its 6th week, opening ceremony rehearsals nearing perfection, and athletes closing in on their final workouts, the 2012 Summer Olympics in London are approaching quickly and should be nothing short of historic. Scheduled to begin on July 27, 2012, the two largest developments for this year's Olympics include new venue construction and an unsurpassed budget for an opening ceremony. Let's take a look at these new developments for the 2012 Summer Olympics and how the experts at Private Flight Advisors can help deliver you a seamless trip for an unforgettable experience.

Venue Developments

Most of the developments for the 2012 Olympic Games are centered around the 500-acre Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. What was once an industrial land in 2005 has been rapidly transformed over the last few years into green space providing long term improvements to the country's landscape and economy. Here are some of the other top new venues that will crown the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park:

The Olympic Stadium will host the four spectacular Opening and Closing Ceremonies at London 2012, as well as track and field events. The Stadium is surrounded by waterways on three sides and spectators will reach the venue via five bridges that link the site to the surrounding area.

Designed by Zaha Hadid in 2004, the breathtaking Aquatics Center is one of the permanent venues specially constructed for London 2012 and will host the swimming and diving events. It is located in the southern side of the Olympic Park in Stratford in East London, and will also serve as the main entrance to the games.

The Basketball Arena is the largest venue ever built for an Olympics with the intention of being taken down. This arena will also be one of the most heavily-used venues in the Olympics with competition events taking place almost every day. Plans for the arena are to be reused in a future Olympics or relocated elsewhere in the country.

Ceremonies

Although Beijing's impressive $100 million-plus opening ceremony for the 2008 Olympics will be hard to top, in December when Prime Minister David Cameron raised the budget to $130 million, new casting calls went out almost immediately. Danny Boyle, choreographer of Slumdog Millionaire, soon became the Artistic Director of the ceremonies with plans to transform the Olympic Stadium into one of the largest sets ever built.

Upon entry to the Olympic Stadium, the audience will see a scene that represents a traditional and picturesque view of the British countryside. The set will be complete with meadows, fields and rivers, and will feature families taking picnics, sports being played on the village green and farmers tilling the soil in farmyards. Danny is promising over 10,000 performers including dancers, drummers, acrobats, skateboarders, nurses and imitators of historical importance to British.

The Red Arrows, a synchronized stunt-jet team usually reserved for the royal family, will take part, as well as the Queen herself. The Closing Ceremonies will also feature an A-list of musical acts including The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Elton John and Paul McCartney. The 2012 Olympic Ceremonies promise to be extraordinary- just imagine the feeling of the torch entering the Olympic Park Stadium in person, before witnessing the finest athletes on Earth compete for the gold in 36 events.


Travel Tips

If you are booking a private jet to the 2012 Olympic Games in London, our most critical piece of advice would be to not wait until the last minute. With 500,000 visitors arriving by air, including 10,000 private aviation flights, both Britain's commercial and private airports will be pushed to their breaking points. Only July 14th, the UK government will impose major airspace restrictions and the military will begin controlling the skies over London, banning all unapproved air travel. To protect the controlled airspace from overcrowding, aircraft arriving into or departing from the 35 airports must reserve an airspace "slot allocation" with the Airport Coordination Limited (ACL). Another thing to bear in mind is that with 800,000 spectators who will need transportation, there will be no spectator parking at any London 2012 venue, with a strong focus on public transportation- including river services.

Hundreds of thousands will be coming into London for the 2012 Olympic Games next month, but only some will be flying with the highest level of comfort and service on a private jet. With Opening Ceremonies taking place on July 27th, there is still time to book the perfect private jet charter. Non-stop travel over the Atlantic requires an aircraft with appropriate range, and we suggest the Embraer Legacy for an extravagant experience at a cost-efficient price, and the Gulfstream G550 for travelers looking for the ultimate, world-class private jet experience.

Upon arrival to your private airport, including Farnborough and London Oxford where slots are still available, our Senior Advisors will handle your luxury ground transportation to your five star hotel. From there, we can coordinate your private travel to the specific park-and-ride locations outside the Olympic Games, to some intimate dining establishments, or to some non-sporting events including the production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to a Warner Brothers' studio tour of "The Making of Harry Potter". We look forward to assisting you with your private jet charter needs, including your once-in-a lifetime experience to the historic 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. For more information on getting to the Olympics on a private jet, and also getting tickets to the events before your arrival please call us today at (877) 732 - 9963.