London's Heathrow Airport is planning a post-pandemic infrastructure overhaul as it lays out new proposals to build a third runway.
Heathrow Airport chief executive John Holland-Kaye predicted more passengers, more low-cost airlines and new shops as the airport responds to post-pandemic travel trends.
He said it was vital that the long-planned, highly controversial third runway went ahead so that Heathrow, which was stretched to capacity before coronavirus grounded large sections of the industry, could take advantage of a return to normality.
Among the options are an interest from budget airlines in snapping up landing slots at Heathrow, which could lead to fewer first-class passengers using the airport, in turn creating demand for different shops.
"We are trying to look ahead to make sure we have the right facilities. The fact is that airlines want to come into Heathrow," Mr Holland-Kaye told a meeting of the Capa Centre for Aviation.
"For the long term, we will need more capacity at Heathrow. The UK has left the EU and we need to have a long-haul airport where we are as connected to India and China.
"Airlines want to stay at Heathrow and that has shown the demand is there."
EasyJet, Ryanair and Jet Blue were mentioned as airlines with ambitions for landing slots.
The aviation industry is in flux as countries attempt to open up their economies and airports, with different levels of success.
Mr Holland-Kaye said landing slot waivers, in force at Heathrow throughout the pandemic, would likely continue into the winter.
Slots at Heathrow can cost $75 million, because of its strong transport links into central London and fees based on expected service levels at the airport.
Mr Holland-Kaye said Heathrow could be rejuvenated by a mix of premium and economy airlines.
Heathrow has continued to operate throughout the pandemic but is working at far below capacity. Passenger numbers are down 90 per cent and flights down from 1,400 a day to 400.
Most passengers were on essential business and until May almost all leisure travel was grounded.
Mt Holland-Kaye told Capa how Heathrow is handling passengers arriving from red list countries, where the government orders them into hotel quarantine.
He told of how e-gates were helping move arriving passengers through the airport faster.
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
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Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Saturday's schedule at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 race, 12:30pm
Formula 1 final practice, 2pm
Formula 1 qualifying, 5pm
Formula 2 race, 6:40pm
Performance: Sam Smith
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Volvo ES90 Specs
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Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
ATP WORLD No 1
2004 Roger Federer
2005 Roger Federer
2006 Roger Federer
2007 Roger Federer
2008 Rafael Nadal
2009 Roger Federer
2010 Rafael Nadal
2011 Novak Djokovic
2012 Novak Djokovic
2013 Rafael Nadal
2014 Novak Djokovic
2015 Novak Djokovic
2016 Andy Murray
2017 Rafael Nadal
2018 Novak Djokovic
2019 Rafael Nadal
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
