Heathrow said its two-year upgrade will improve all terminals, including baggage delivery. Reuters
Heathrow said its two-year upgrade will improve all terminals, including baggage delivery. Reuters
Heathrow said its two-year upgrade will improve all terminals, including baggage delivery. Reuters
Heathrow said its two-year upgrade will improve all terminals, including baggage delivery. Reuters

Heathrow to invest £2.3bn in upgrade after Saudi Arabia's PIF takes stake


Matthew Davies
  • English
  • Arabic

London's Heathrow is to spend £2.3 billion ($2.92 billion) upgrading the airport over the next two years.

The move is an increase of £244 million on previously forecasted investments, and comes days after Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, PIF, and French investment firm Ardian completed their deal to buy a 37 per cent stake in Heathrow.

The investment is the largest of its kind in UK transport infrastructure, and will be used to improve all terminals, including baggage delivery and projects to support punctual departures and arrivals, Heathrow said. The plan is to spend £1.05 billion upgrading the airport’s infrastructure next year and £1.29 billion in 2026. Heathrow has invested £1.1 billion in 2024, including spending £191 million on upgrading security lanes.

“Heathrow is the UK’s gateway to the world, and ultimately, the country’s gateway to growth,” the airport's chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, said. “Today’s announcement confirms that we will continue to invest more than £1 billion of private sector cash each year into the airport to deliver facilities our airlines and passengers want, while boosting the UK economy and creating opportunities for businesses up and down the country.”

An aircraft descends to land at Heathrow. Saudi Arabia's PIF and French firm Ardian completed a €4 billion deal to buy a combined 37.62 per cent stake in the airport last week. Reuters
An aircraft descends to land at Heathrow. Saudi Arabia's PIF and French firm Ardian completed a €4 billion deal to buy a combined 37.62 per cent stake in the airport last week. Reuters

Last week, Saudi Arabia's PIF and Ardian completed a €4 billion ($4.2 billon) deal to buy a combined 37.62 per cent stake in Heathrow from Spanish construction giant Ferrovial and other shareholders of FGP Topco, the parent company of Heathrow Airport Holdings. Ardian and PIF acquired 22.6 per cent and 15 per cent respectively of FGP Topco. Ferrovial, which builds and manages highways and airports, is focusing on expansion in the United States, where it is building a terminal at New York's JFK International Airport.

Heathrow executives are predicting a record festive season for passenger numbers, with a 21 per cent increase on Christmas Day alone. Last month, 6.5 million people travelled through the airport, its best November performance. Heathrow has been breaking its own records for most of 2024. It had four consecutive months of record passenger numbers in the summer and its busiest week ever from August 13 to 19, when 1.8 million people passed through the airport.

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)

Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)

Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg

Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).

Second leg

Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm

Games on BeIN Sports

How does ToTok work?

The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store

To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.

The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.

Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.

 

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Price, base / as tested: Dh169,995 / Dh192,045

Engine: Turbocharged, 2.0-litre, in-line four-cylinder

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power: 253hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 389Nm @ 2,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 10.7L / 100km

Company name: Play:Date

Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day

Founder: Shamim Kassibawi

Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US

Sector: Tech 

Size: 20 employees

Stage of funding: Seed

Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund

Cultural fiesta

What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421,  Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day. 

The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

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Updated: December 18, 2024, 11:00 AM