It is business as usual for RAF Northolt in the run up to the start of the 2012 Games and operators and owners of business jets are encouraged to book their slots soonest for arrivals while there is still availability. From the July 21st until August 15th all slot coordination for arriving and departing IFR traffic at London Airports is to be coordinated by Airport Co-ordination Ltd, and RAF Northolt has reserved 50% of its allocated slots for commercial use during this period. "There is a misconception that RAF Northolt is for Heads of State aircraft only. That is certainly not the case in the lead up to the Olympics and we welcome business jets all year round," said Wing Commander Mike Smith.

With the exception of the period from 8:00 p.m. on July 25th through to 8:00 a.m. on August 14, when four RAF Typhoon fighter jets will be based at Northolt in a security role for the Games, and only Heads of State flights are allowed to land, the airport remains fully open and staffed for all other executive flights. Up until that time commercial traffic will be unaffected. Furthermore, requests for slots beyond August 14 can also be booked throughout that two week period.

Northolt Jet Centre, run as an extension of the London City Airport Jet Centre, which runs the premier passenger services, stresses that their 19-strong staff are well prepared for the anticipation of additional traffic ahead of July 25th. It expects to see a hike in slots being booked for arrivals up to two weeks ahead of the Games, in line with usual business aviation activity. "RAF Northolt's fuel supplier Air BP, and our inflight caterer, chauffeur car companies and foreign newspaper providers are all prepped and ready," says Northolt Jet Centre Manager Donie Braddick.

RAF Northolt is highly popular as a business aviation airport for its location - inside the M25 motorway, seven miles North of London Heathrow and with excellent transport links to the M25, M40 and M4 motorways. Situated next to the A40, the airport is just 30 minutes' driving time from central London and convenient for Belgravia, Kensington and Chelsea. Wembley Stadium is only eight miles away, making the airport a popular choice for VIPs and celebrities attending sporting events and concerts. Being an RAF base it offers a discrete, secure and efficient service - away from the public gaze. The airport caters for a mix of commercial traffic, but visiting aircraft are primarily mid-size to large sized cabin jets (40%) and medium to smaller sized Hawker 800 business jets (60%) and has the capability to park up to 30 mid size aircraft on the apron - all on the south side.

With its 1,684 m runway, Northolt can handle a wide range of aircraft up to and including Boeing 737 and Airbus A318/19/ACJ variants as long as they remain below ACN 27 and are restricted to 30 passengers. The BAe 146/Avro RJ family and Fokker 70/100 are also regular users of RAF Northolt. Single engine aircraft are not permitted at the airport.

Portable Airfield Arrestor Gear Installed on July 13

RAF Northolt has notified operators about the Portable Airfield Arrestor Gear (PAAG)* which will be installed on the runway from July 13 to August 15. This comprises an overrun cable tensioned and raised three inches above the surface of the runway. ATC will relay status of the PAAG to all arriving aircraft. However, it is the operator's responsibility to ensure that their jets can either trample the PAAG cable or operate from the runway distances before the cable.

*On Runway 25, the cable is situated 322 m (1,056ft) from the internal edge of the Western Threshold Piano Keys with a distance from the start of the runway to the cable of 4,066ft and a distance from the Instrument Touchdown Point to the cable of 3,356ft. For Runway 07 operations the cable is situated 415 m (1,361ft) from the internal edge of the Eastern Threshold Piano Keys with a distance from the start of the runway to the cable of 4,018ft and a distance from the Instrument Touchdown Point to the cable of 3,147ft.

Contributed by RAF Northolt