Britain’s largest airport on Monday urged authorities to change travel rules as passenger numbers in August were still 71 per cent below pre-pandemic levels in the same month in 2019.
Heathrow Airport officials said the ever-changing restrictions, “expensive and unnecessary testing” requirements and the lack of “a common approach across borders” continued to hinder the travel sector’s recovery.
Boris Johnson is set to scrap the traffic light system for travel, while PCR tests will not be required for fully vaccinated travellers as part of a winter plan for coping with Covid, reports said.
"The government has the tools to protect the UK's international competitiveness, which will boost the economic recovery and achieve its Global Britain ambitions," Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said on Monday.
"If ministers fail to take this opportunity to streamline the travel rules then the UK will fall further behind as trade and tourists will increasingly bypass the UK.”
Over the course of the pandemic, Heathrow has dropped from being the busiest airport in Europe in 2019, to 10th position as rivals including Schiphol, Paris and Frankfurt recover at a quicker pace.
The EU competitors also reached pre-pandemic cargo volumes at the end of 2020, while cargo at the UK’s biggest port is still down 14 per cent, compared to August 2019.
“The current traffic light system is an outlier and is delaying the Government’s Global Britain ambitions, handing rivals a competitive advantage while the UK loses market share,” Heathrow said.
Heathrow said it would favour a two-tier system with destination countries rated either low risk or high risk, with the latter still requiring hotel quarantine.
Under its proposal, supported by major airlines and the wider travel industry, fully vaccinated travellers would be able to travel freely, a system already adopted by many European countries, while those not vaccinated would take pre-departure or arrival tests using lateral flow tests, which are cheaper than PCR tests.
Under the current system, there are three tiers with expensive tests required even for those who are fully vaccinated.
In recent weeks, Heathrow has been plagued with hours-long queues for passengers arriving into the UK because of staff shortages and challenges in complying with Covid rules.
Heathrow said as the number of travellers increases, Border Force authorities must ensure they have adequate resources and processes in place to ensure travellers receive a warm welcome to the UK.
“Recent scenes of passengers waiting for hours to be processed through the UK border are totally unacceptable,” Heathrow said.
“Border Force can and should deliver both a secure UK border and an efficient service for passengers.”
Britain's Home Office, which is responsible for the Border Force, admitted earlier this month that delays at Heathrow were “unacceptable”.
The figures behind the event
1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew
2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show
3) 1,000 social distancing stickers
4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
World Sevens Series standing after Dubai
1. South Africa
2. New Zealand
3. England
4. Fiji
5. Australia
6. Samoa
7. Kenya
8. Scotland
9. France
10. Spain
11. Argentina
12. Canada
13. Wales
14. Uganda
15. United States
16. Russia
The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
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
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Brief scores:
Day 2
England: 277 & 19-0
West Indies: 154
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
