Attempts by the UK to widen visa-free arrivals with an Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme have backfired on Heathrow after transit passengers were included in the system.
The chief executive of Heathrow, Thomas Woldbye, has urged the British government to scrap ETAs for passengers who are merely passing through the airport to catch connecting flights to other destinations outside the UK.
Under the ETA scheme, international passengers with eligible and participating nationalities pay a fee of £10 ($12.50), regardless of whether they are entering Britain or are transit passengers flying on to somewhere else.
Currently, the scheme only applies to citizens of seven Middle Eastern states: the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
The scheme was launched in October last year and only applied to Qataris, while the other five Gulf states and Jordan joined in February this year.
The ETA scheme is cheaper, faster and easier to apply for than the long-standing Electronic Visa Waiver, which allowed visitors from the Gulf to stay in Britain for up to six months for tourism, business, study or medical treatment.
Under the new ETA system, travellers will be able to make unlimited visits to Britain over two years, or until the holder’s passport expires, whichever comes first.
The idea has been piloted with the Middle Eastern states because they represent the highest number of returning tourists, with tracking data showing that three quarters of all holiday visitors from the UAE make repeat visits to Britain.
Level playing field
Announcing another month of record passenger numbers at Heathrow for March, Mr Woldbye said that to keep the figures growing the government needs to “exempt airside transit passengers from the ETA scheme to avoid encouraging passengers to spend and do business elsewhere”.
“We need to level the playing field, so the UK aviation industry continues to be world-class,” he added.
Heathrow said the effect of the ETA on transit passenger numbers already shows in the figures from Qatar. In the first four months of the scheme, 19,000 fewer transit passengers travelled from the Gulf state to Heathrow.
That, Heathrow argues, is a worrying trend and a “huge blow to UK competitiveness as many long-haul routes, which are highly important to the UK’s economy, exports and wider connectivity, rely on transit passengers”.
Heathrow argues that the scheme is driving transit passengers to use other airports, potentially threatening its position as the world's most connected airport.
”We are introducing an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme to enhance border security by increasing our knowledge about those seeking to come to the UK and preventing the arrival of those who pose a threat," a spokesperson for the UK's Home Office said.
“Requiring transit passengers to obtain an ETA stops people who may use connecting flights to avoid gaining permission to travel to the UK.
"We are keeping this under review as we continue to roll out the scheme and we will continue to work with the aviation sector on this."
Heathrow said March was the second record-breaking month in a row, as nearly seven million people travelled through the airport.
Easter weekend was Heathrow's busiest ever, with 936,000 passengers departing or arriving. Good Friday was the busiest ever direct departure day, with 118,000 people starting their journeys at Heathrow.
Passport price pressure
Meanwhile, the cost of a British passport went up on Thursday, for the second time in 14 months.
The price of an online application for a new or renewed passport went up by 7 per cent to £88.50, having already risen by 9 per cent in February last year.
“While these latest price rises may well reflect rising production or processing costs, the UK passport is now among the priciest in Europe, and travellers due to renew will likely be shocked by how much these little blue books now cost,” said Guy Hobbs, a travel expert at the consumer group Which?
From the middle of next year, British passport holders will also have to pay £6 to travel inside the EU under the European Travel Information and Authorisation System.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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Singapore
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8.
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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10.
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South Korea
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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The five pillars of Islam
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THE SPECS
Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 518bhp
Torque: 625Nm
Speed: 0-100kmh 5.3 seconds
Price: Dh633,435
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Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Company%20profile
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North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The%20Kitchen
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No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
