Britain's busiest airport Heathrow was hit hard by the fallout from the Omicron coronavirus variant in December when 600,000 passengers cancelled their travel plans.
The airport handled 19.4 million passengers in 2021, less than a quarter of pre-pandemic levels of 80.9 million customers and lower than the 22.1 million seen in 2020, with travellers shelving travel plans from late November amid a surge of coronavirus cases.
The airport said the Covid-19 pandemic still poses “significant challenges for the travel industry” with “significant doubt over the speed at which demand will recover”.
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said there are currently travel restrictions, such as testing, on all of the airport's routes.
"The aviation industry will only fully recover when these are all lifted and there is no risk that they will be reimposed at short notice, a situation which is likely to be years away,” he said.
Britain's airports have been hit hard during the pandemic by waves of infections and travel restrictions that were unveiled at very short notice, requiring passengers to take expensive tests or isolate to avoid spreading the virus.
Things were looking up in the Autumn when more than 3 million passengers travelled through Heathrow in October. This was the sixth consecutive month of growth, as the relaxation of travel curbs before the half-term holiday unleashed pent up demand, with close to 100,000 travellers a day.
However, Omicron halted the rebound and passenger numbers are not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels until 2025, according to the International Air Transport Association.
Even this is only possible if travel restrictions are removed at both ends of a route and passengers have confidence they will not return rapidly, Iata said.
As a result, Heathrow is urging the UK government to remove all testing for fully vaccinated passengers and to adopt a playbook for any future "variants of concern" that is more predictable, limits additional measures only to passengers from high-risk destinations and allows quarantine at home instead of in a hotel.
Travel to and from the Asia/Pacific region in 2021 was down 40.3 per cent year-on-year, according to Heathrow, while other markets with double-digit reductions were non-EU Europe – down 13.8 per cent and North America – down 13.6 per cent.
Domestic travel bucked the trend, with a 21.1 per cent boost in passengers compared with 2020.
Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the web of rules and regulations clearly led to a drop in confidence in the travelling public.
"Mass vaccination programmes failed to have the desired effect in 2021, in bringing the rebound in travel as there had been such high hopes for this time last year," she said.
"The threat of expensive hotel quarantines following a rapid rule change and the risk of being left stranded overseas if testing positive were hardly a relaxing prospect for holidaymakers wanting to get away from it all. It means there was a lacklustre uplift in customers of 12 per cent, compared to 2020."
Mr Holland-Kaye issued a warning that the current rules create "enormous uncertainty" for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as it prepares to set a five-year limit on Heathrow's passenger charges.
"The regulator must focus on an outcome that improves service, incentivises growth and maintains affordable private financing," he said.
The CAA increased the limit on Heathrow's price per passenger from £19.60 ($26.61) to £30.19 from January 1, with airlines expressing outrage at the decision, claiming the rise was too high.
The CAA is expected to announce a long-term cap running from the summer to 2027 in the coming weeks.
Looking ahead, Ms Streeter said despite hopes for pent up demand to translate into a bounce-back in bookings this year, the industry looks set to face a long-haul recovery ahead.
"Many consumers are faced with an income squeeze, which is likely put to expensive holidays out of reach. Others might have splashed their piles of savings on other luxury treats instead," she said.
"Among some older travellers who may still have the cash to spare, there is still a lingering fear of the new variants and they are likely to keep putting off booking that once coveted overseas trip."
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Rashid & Rajab
Director: Mohammed Saeed Harib
Stars: Shadi Alfons, Marwan Abdullah, Doaa Mostafa Ragab
Two stars out of five
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
If you go...
Flying
There is no simple way to get to Punta Arenas from the UAE, with flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi requiring at least two connections to reach this part of Patagonia. Flights start from about Dh6,250.
Touring
Chile Nativo offers the amended Los Dientes trek with expert guides and porters who are met in Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino. The trip starts and ends in Punta Arenas and lasts for six days in total. Prices start from Dh8,795.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company%20profile
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
The biog
Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology
Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels
Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs
Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends
ABU DHABI CARD
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions; Dh90,000; 2,200m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 1,400m
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6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh100,000; 1,600m
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8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1; Dh5,000,000; 1,600m
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
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Calvin Harris
Columbia
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
