BA tipped to be official 2012 Olympics airline
02.10.07
British Airways is set to be named the official airline of the 2012 Olympics in London, according to a report in the London Evening Standard. The latest story follows a previous report in the Telegraph which suggested that BA would not pay the estimated £80m price tag to be the official airline, as it targets a 10% operating profit and was unconvinced that the sponsorship represents value for money.
The Evening Standard reports that Emirates and Virgin Atlantic - both of whom were in the frame to become official backers - are now out of the running, although another airline could still trump BA. It adds that, while no agreement with BA has yet been reached, the national airline is close to becoming a 'tier one' sponsor, and an announcement could be made as early as next month.
The potential value of the deal is as yet unknown but Lloyds TSB, EDF Energy and Adidas - all of which are existing 2012 partners - have paid between £50m and £80m. In return, the official airline will be able to use the London Olympics logo on all its planes for the next 5 years. Tier one backers are also given first refusal on Olympic tickets and the opportunity for their employees to become official volunteers during the Games.
A BA spokesman said: 'No decision has been made on the airline's involvement with the Games in 2012.' A spokeswoman for the London 2012 team said: 'No deal has been done - the sponsorship category is still open.'
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