Passengers queuing to go through security at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. PA
Passengers queuing to go through security at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. PA
Passengers queuing to go through security at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. PA
Passengers queuing to go through security at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. PA

Dubai tops Heathrow holiday destinations as passengers return


Gillian Duncan
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Dubai was the top holiday destination during half-term for passengers flying from Heathrow, data from the UK's biggest airport shows.

A total of 5.2 million passengers travelled through the airport in February.

The month saw the biggest single day in Terminal 5 since Christmas 2019, with more than 94,000 travellers passing through on February 26.

Dubai topped the destination list, followed by New York and Madrid.

A spokeswoman for Heathrow said passenger traffic between the hub and Dubai was 5 per cent larger in February compared to the same month in 2019.

Traffic between Abu Dhabi and Heathrow was 86 per cent recovered in the same period, similar to New York's John F Kennedy International Airport, which was 90 per cent recovered.

“The February half-term went very smoothly, thanks to a great plan and teamwork across the airport”, said Heathrow's chief executive John Holland-Kaye.

“This should give everyone confidence that we are prepared for a successful Easter getaway.”

Earlier this month, Heathrow Airport was told it must lower the passenger fees that it charges airlines using the UK hub.

The Civil Aviation Authority announced that Heathrow, Europe's busiest hub, could charge an average maximum price per passenger of £27.49 ($32.51) over the 2022-2026 period.

Last month, the airport operator reported an underlying pre-tax loss of £684 million for last year, against a loss of £1.3 billion in 2021, even though it said it saw the largest increase in passengers of any European airport last year.

Heathrow is the world’s second busiest hub, behind Dubai International Airport.

Dubai and Heathrow airports in the 70s and 80s — in pictures

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

AUSTRALIA SQUAD

Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle

WHAT IS GRAPHENE?

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. 

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

Juliet, Naked
Dir: Jesse Peretz
Starring: Chris O'Dowd, Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​Two stars

PROFILE BOX

Company name: Overwrite.ai

Founder: Ayman Alashkar

Started: Established in 2020

Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai

Sector: PropTech

Initial investment: Self-funded by founder

Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors

While you're here
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Updated: March 13, 2023, 11:15 AM`