Heathrow welcomes ahead of Jubilee

Heathrow is preparing for a busy Jubilee weekend with more than 780,000 passengers expected to arrive in the UK between now and Tuesday June 5th. As international passengers make a bee-line to London to join in the Jubilee celebrations, the UK’s only hub airport is anticipating a busy fortnight. More than 2.9 million people will pass through its doors in the next two weeks with more than a quarter predicted to touchdown in time for the Bank Holiday weekend. Heathrow is putting a number of celebratory Jubilee-themed initiatives in place to make their journeys better. To mark the milestone and Heathrow’s role in six decades of regal globetrotting, a giant Union Jack flag with an image of Her Majesty the Queen takes pride of place on Heathrow’s runway. At 540 square metres, the artwork is three times the width of an A380’s fuselage and has been positioned so that passengers will be able to spot it from their flights, with Her Majesty’s profile overlooking the runway and terminals. Passengers will also be treated to a royal welcome with red carpets laid in Arrivals halls in all terminals. Official Diamond Jubilee and Union Jack flags will be handed out and visitors will be invited to write messages of congratulations to the Queen in official books that will be sent to Buckingham Palace. In addition there will be live musical performances in the terminals by a variety of musicians including the Salvation Army band. As the most travelled head of state in the world, having made 261 official overseas visits and 96 state visits to 116 countries, Heathrow has played host to some important moments in the Queen’s 60-year reign. Her Majesty also opened the original London Airport buildings, which later became Terminal 2 in December 1955. In 1968 she returned to open Terminal 1 and again in 2008 to open Terminal 5. John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow commercial director at Heathrow said: “The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations mark the start of an important and historic summer for Heathrow. As the UK’s hub Airport, we are delighted to welcome thousands of visitors to Heathrow to celebrate this momentous national occasion.”