Thousands of passengers faced disruption on Sunday as Heathrow airport cancelled dozens of flights and rescheduled 100 more after the UK was hit by winds of up to 120kph.
"Due to strong winds and airspace restrictions, a small number of flights have been cancelled today. This will ensure the vast majority of passengers can still travel as planned,” a representative for Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, said.
"We know how important travel at this time of year is and have extra colleagues on hand in our terminals to support people on their journeys. We encourage passengers to check with their airline for the latest information about their flight."
Flights to the UAE appeared to be operating as normal as of mid-afternoon.
A yellow warning for wind, which came into force at 7am on Saturday, was expected to remain in place until 9pm on Sunday, according to the UK’s Met Office. Warnings remain in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and in England the warnings cover the north-east, north-west, south-west and the West Midlands as well as Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Hampshire.
Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said 80kph to 95kph winds would affect coastal areas, with 110kph to 120kph gusts expected to hit the most exposed areas.
Decades of flight: Heathrow through the years – in pictures
"In the evening we are expecting these to ease and gradually drop off,” he said on Sunday. "My advice for people travelling today and tonight is to take it easy, particularly in the north and east. The main concern is that there's the potential for icy patches in some areas."
P&O Ferries said journeys by sea between Larne in Northern Ireland and Cairnryan in southern Scotland had been cancelled until at least 8pm on Sunday. CalMac, which operates ferry services on Scotland's west coast, said 29 of its 30 routes were either cancelled or disrupted on Sunday.
Rail operator ScotRail said speed restrictions were in place for part of the route between Glasgow and Oban/Mallaig, and the Inverness service to Kyle/Wick. The disruption comes amid warnings of a "perfect storm" of bad weather and congestion on the roads.
The AA predicted 21.3 million drivers would hit the road on Sunday, while 22.7 million had been expected on Saturday, slightly fewer than the 23.7 million on Friday, which was forecast to be the busiest day on the roads since the group's records began in 2010.
"If the congestion wasn't enough of a headache, the inclement weather could create the perfect storm,” a representative said. "We advise those heading out to allow extra time to travel and increase the distance between themselves and other road users."
The RAC estimated seven million leisure trips would be made on major roads during the weekend, which excludes everyday traffic. It predicted congestion hotspots would be both directions of the M1 to Gatwick via the M25 and the M23; Liverpool to Chester on the M53; Oxford to the south coast via the A34 and the M3; the M25 to the south coast along the M3; and at the Taunton to Almondsbury Interchange in Bristol heading down the M5.
Looking ahead to next week, conditions are expected to improve and the UK could see a "grey Christmas", rather than a white one, which will be "extremely mild", with temperatures above average.
"In England and Wales, temperatures will be well above average with some grey in the mix. We're expecting an average of around 12°C or 13°C on Christmas Eve [December 24] and 11°C or 12°C on Christmas Day [December 25]. The usual average for this time of year is 7°C or 8°C so we'll be around double where we usually are. Overnight temperatures in Scotland for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be extremely mild."
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
