THE rich and famous could be jetting into Southend this summer as airport bosses look to cash in on their closeness to the Olympics.

Chiefs at Southend Airport are aiming to attract rich businesses and individuals with the money to charter their own flights to the town by trading on its proximity to the Games site in Stratford.

They are even considering recreating a private jet lounge within the old terminal building, which was superseded by a new £10million structure in February, to cope with demand.

Alastair Welch, the airport’s managing director, said: “We are looking at options to relocate the private jet lounge within the old passenger terminal.

“The previous facility there has been converted for use as a security control post.”

Southend has been named among a swathe of airports surrounding the capital which will have their flights strictly monitored during the Games to avoid over-crowding.

But the rules still allow the airport to cater for 358 private flights every day between July 21 and August 15, although that number will be further limited by Southend’s strict night flight restrictions.

Industry experts have predicted there will be an extra 3,000 private jet flights to airports within commuting distance of Stratford throughout the Olympics.

At London’s Biggin Hill airport, 360 flights had been booked by the end of April.

Early indications by Airport Co-ordination, which regulates the booking system, suggests there is still plenty of space available at Southend.

However, the company warned most private flights for the Olympics were likely to be booked at the last minute.

That means airport bosses are unlikely to know exactly how many extra aircraft they will be welcoming until just before the Games.