Gatwick Airport runway was closed. AP
Gatwick Airport runway was closed. AP
Gatwick Airport runway was closed. AP
Gatwick Airport runway was closed. AP

News

UK

Boeing plane aborts take off at Gatwick Airport, sparking travel chaos

Emirates flight from Dubai diverted to Brussels

Simon Rushton
Simon Rushton

June 28, 2024

  • English
  • Arabic

The runway at London's Gatwick Airport was closed on Friday after a British Airways flight was aborted on the tarmac.

An Emirates flight from Dubai was caught up in the chaos and diverted to Brussels after the incident with BA flight G-VIIT BA2279 for Vancouver, Canada.

Thousands of airline passengers on flights to and from Gatwick airport are suffering disruption after the runway was closed following a problem with the departing British Airways Boeing 777.

Gatwick said 23 flights were delayed on Friday afternoon.

A London Gatwick spokesperson said: "The main runway was closed for 50 minutes today due to a departing aircraft having hot brakes. Safety is our top priority and London Gatwick’s dedicated airport fire service swiftly attended to support the aircraft.

"Sixteen inbound flights were diverted during the closure. The runway is now open and operating as normal. Twenty-three flights were cancelled and there are a number of delays due to the knock-on impact.

"We are working with our airlines and other airport partners to minimise disruption. Passengers should contact their airlines directly for the latest flight information."

Flight tracking website Flightradar24 said the plane had "rejected take-off”.

The website reported the closure of the runway at 12.53pm and stated at 1.14pm it had reopened.

Airport fire service vehicles escorted the aircraft as it was moved off the runway, flight tracking website Flightradar24 said.

A British Airways spokesperson said: "Our pilots took the precautionary decision to cancel take-off due to a technical issue.

"Safety is always our top priority and we apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused."

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The drill

Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.

Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”

Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”

Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.” 

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

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PALESTINE: “There is no easy fix. We need to find the political will and comply with the resolutions that we have agreed upon.”

OMAN: “It is a very important country in our system. They have a very important role to play in terms of the balance and peace process of that particular part of the world, in that their position is neutral. That is why it is very important to have a dialogue with the Omani authorities.”

REFORM OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL: “This is complicated and it requires time. It is dependent on the effort that members want to put into the process. It is a process that has been going on for 25 years. That process is slow but the issue is huge. I really hope we will see some progress during my tenure.”

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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Updated: June 28, 2024, 4:22 PM
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