• Travellers queue Heathrow Airport. Long queues, cancellations and luggage problems at Heathrow and other airports have plagued the travel sector’s comeback from coronavirus restrictions. AP
    Travellers queue Heathrow Airport. Long queues, cancellations and luggage problems at Heathrow and other airports have plagued the travel sector’s comeback from coronavirus restrictions. AP
  • Suitcases uncollected at Heathrow's Terminal 3 baggage reclaim. AFP
    Suitcases uncollected at Heathrow's Terminal 3 baggage reclaim. AFP
  • British Airways will cancel flights for more than 100,000 summer holidaymakers in an attempt to avoid a repeat of the recent travel chaos at UK airports. Reuters
    British Airways will cancel flights for more than 100,000 summer holidaymakers in an attempt to avoid a repeat of the recent travel chaos at UK airports. Reuters
  • The cancelled flights represent 14 per cent of those scheduled from Gatwick and nearly 7 per cent from Heathrow, pictured. Reuters
    The cancelled flights represent 14 per cent of those scheduled from Gatwick and nearly 7 per cent from Heathrow, pictured. Reuters
  • More than 76,000 seats are being cancelled from Heathrow and 29,400 from Gatwick on flights to more than 70 destinations including Malaga, Ibiza, Palma, Faro and Athens, according to 'The Daily Telegraph'. Salman S Chaudhry / Twitter
    More than 76,000 seats are being cancelled from Heathrow and 29,400 from Gatwick on flights to more than 70 destinations including Malaga, Ibiza, Palma, Faro and Athens, according to 'The Daily Telegraph'. Salman S Chaudhry / Twitter
  • Travellers queue to check in for their flights at Gatwick. EPA
    Travellers queue to check in for their flights at Gatwick. EPA
  • Birmingham Airport was the worst in the UK for flight delays last year, analysis shows. Flights were an average of 12 minutes and 24 seconds late taking off from the West Midlands airport in 2021, Civil Aviation Authority data seen by PA showed. PA
    Birmingham Airport was the worst in the UK for flight delays last year, analysis shows. Flights were an average of 12 minutes and 24 seconds late taking off from the West Midlands airport in 2021, Civil Aviation Authority data seen by PA showed. PA
  • Left luggage at baggage reclaim in Heathrow. PA
    Left luggage at baggage reclaim in Heathrow. PA
  • Long queues at Gatwick Airport. UK travellers face continuing disruption. EPA
    Long queues at Gatwick Airport. UK travellers face continuing disruption. EPA
  • Passengers in a long queue for check in outside Terminal 1 at Manchester Airport. Reuters
    Passengers in a long queue for check in outside Terminal 1 at Manchester Airport. Reuters

Heathrow Airport imposes passenger cap and tells airlines to stop selling summer tickets


Paul Carey
  • English
  • Arabic

Heathrow Airport has announced a cap on passenger numbers in an attempt to reduce chaotic scenes of baggage mountains, long queues and flight cancellations.

The airport said it has ordered airlines to “stop selling summer tickets to limit the impact on passengers”.

The west London airport has been plagued by problems since travel resumed once most pandemic restrictions were removed. Most of the issues involve a shortage of staff including airline ground crew, security and baggage handlers. Strikes are also planned by some workers.

Its social media channels have been inundated with angry passengers trying to be reunited with their luggage, some of them more than a week after their flights. Today, passengers were forced to queue outside terminals as temperatures soared beyond 30C.

The new measure will lead to more cancellations on top of the thousands of flights axed in recent months.

Affected passengers will not be entitled to compensation as the reason for the cancellations will be classified as being outside the control of airlines.

It has limited numbers to 100,000 passengers a day, meaning an excess of 4,000 seats will be scrapped daily. This comes on top of tens of thousands of passengers whose flights have already been cancelled. On Monday alone, Heathrow ordered airlines to ditch 61 flights, affecting about 10,000 passengers.

About 131,000 passengers departed the airport on Heathrow’s busiest day on record, August 4, 2019.

In an open letter to passengers on the capacity cap, Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye, who has previously said problems could last 18 months, apologised again and admitted that scenes in terminals had been unacceptable.

He said the government move to suspend its 'use it or lose it' rules on flight routes had helped by allowing flights to be cancelled in advance, but it had not been enough — some airlines were still scheduling too many flights, he said. The policy had led to ghost flights as most airlines would rather fly empty than lose lucrative routes.

The government ordered airports to review their schedules to give passengers confidence that their travel plans would not be disrupted.

Decades of flight: Heathrow through the years — in pictures

  • Heathrow Airport in London, the UK's busiest, has been a travel hub for decades. Here The National takes a look back at Heathrow through the years. All photos: Getty Images
    Heathrow Airport in London, the UK's busiest, has been a travel hub for decades. Here The National takes a look back at Heathrow through the years. All photos: Getty Images
  • An Airco De Havilland biplane of the British airline, Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited, about to leave on the company’s inaugural flight from Hounslow Heath Aerodrome, later known as Heathrow, to Le Bourget, Paris, in August 1919
    An Airco De Havilland biplane of the British airline, Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited, about to leave on the company’s inaugural flight from Hounslow Heath Aerodrome, later known as Heathrow, to Le Bourget, Paris, in August 1919
  • Waterlogged runways at London Airport - Heathrow's original name - one week before it became Britain's main aerial gateway to the US in 1946
    Waterlogged runways at London Airport - Heathrow's original name - one week before it became Britain's main aerial gateway to the US in 1946
  • The new BOAC maintenance headquarters at London Airport circa 1955
    The new BOAC maintenance headquarters at London Airport circa 1955
  • The air traffic control room at the airport's new terminal in 1955
    The air traffic control room at the airport's new terminal in 1955
  • US film star Marilyn Monroe with her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, after arriving at the airport in July 1956
    US film star Marilyn Monroe with her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, after arriving at the airport in July 1956
  • An aerial view showing the runways in 1958
    An aerial view showing the runways in 1958
  • The arrivals and departures board in 1960
    The arrivals and departures board in 1960
  • A new airport gift shop, selling items by Chanel, Wedgwood and Pringle of Scotland, in 1961
    A new airport gift shop, selling items by Chanel, Wedgwood and Pringle of Scotland, in 1961
  • The Queen's Building and the No. 1 Building Europa at Heathrow in 1965
    The Queen's Building and the No. 1 Building Europa at Heathrow in 1965
  • The Beatles leave Heathrow for Salzburg in Austria, to resume filming of the movie Help!, in 1965
    The Beatles leave Heathrow for Salzburg in Austria, to resume filming of the movie Help!, in 1965
  • Passenger terminal gates at Heathrow in 1966
    Passenger terminal gates at Heathrow in 1966
  • Keith Granville, managing director of BOAC, holding up a model of the Boeing 747 jet, with the new aircraft hangars under construction in the background, at Heathrow in 1969
    Keith Granville, managing director of BOAC, holding up a model of the Boeing 747 jet, with the new aircraft hangars under construction in the background, at Heathrow in 1969
  • An aerial view of Heathrow in 1970
    An aerial view of Heathrow in 1970
  • Passengers boarding the first BOAC Jumbo Jet 747 used for a commercial flight, from London Heathrow to New York, in 1971
    Passengers boarding the first BOAC Jumbo Jet 747 used for a commercial flight, from London Heathrow to New York, in 1971
  • Passengers going through the departure lounge at Heathrow in 1973
    Passengers going through the departure lounge at Heathrow in 1973
  • Concorde takes off from Heathrow on her first commercial flight for British Airways in 1976
    Concorde takes off from Heathrow on her first commercial flight for British Airways in 1976
  • Men at work finalising the Heathrow Central underground station before its opening in 1977
    Men at work finalising the Heathrow Central underground station before its opening in 1977
  • Queen Elizabeth II passing though the Tube gates at Heathrow Central station on its opening in 1977
    Queen Elizabeth II passing though the Tube gates at Heathrow Central station on its opening in 1977
  • An aerial view of Heathrow in 1978
    An aerial view of Heathrow in 1978
  • Passengers waiting near a departures board in 1979
    Passengers waiting near a departures board in 1979
  • Holidaymakers waiting in the departure lounge at Terminal 3 of Heathrow in 1981
    Holidaymakers waiting in the departure lounge at Terminal 3 of Heathrow in 1981
  • British Airways employees protesting at Heathrow in 1984
    British Airways employees protesting at Heathrow in 1984
  • Passengers and staff observe a silence in Heathrow's Terminal One to mark the beginning of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997
    Passengers and staff observe a silence in Heathrow's Terminal One to mark the beginning of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997
  • Rower Steve Redgrave at Heathrow with daughters Sophie and Natalie and son Zak after returning from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games with his gold medal
    Rower Steve Redgrave at Heathrow with daughters Sophie and Natalie and son Zak after returning from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games with his gold medal
  • Spectators watch the last Concorde land at Heathrow in 2003
    Spectators watch the last Concorde land at Heathrow in 2003
  • Fans surround the coach carrying the England rugby team at Heathrow, as they arrived from Sydney after winning the World Cup in 2003
    Fans surround the coach carrying the England rugby team at Heathrow, as they arrived from Sydney after winning the World Cup in 2003
  • Heathrow's Terminal 2 in 2004
    Heathrow's Terminal 2 in 2004
  • Passengers queue to check in at Terminal 1 of Heathrow Airport during the Christmas 2006 and New Year period
    Passengers queue to check in at Terminal 1 of Heathrow Airport during the Christmas 2006 and New Year period
  • Passengers wait at Terminal 1 on August 10, 2006, after airport security was raised to critical when a terrorist plot to blow up planes in mid-flight from the UK to the US was disrupted by police
    Passengers wait at Terminal 1 on August 10, 2006, after airport security was raised to critical when a terrorist plot to blow up planes in mid-flight from the UK to the US was disrupted by police
  • Planes queueing to take off at Heathrow in 2007
    Planes queueing to take off at Heathrow in 2007
  • The new Terminal 5 at Heathrow in 2008
    The new Terminal 5 at Heathrow in 2008
  • Aircraft at Heathrow Airport in front of the London skyline in 2016
    Aircraft at Heathrow Airport in front of the London skyline in 2016
  • Members of Team GB arrive from Rio de Janeiro at Heathrow, after returning from the 2016 Olympics, which saw Great Britain's strongest performance at the Games in over a century
    Members of Team GB arrive from Rio de Janeiro at Heathrow, after returning from the 2016 Olympics, which saw Great Britain's strongest performance at the Games in over a century
  • A composite photo shows planes taking off from Heathrow in November 2016. Forty-two planes were captured between 10.17am and 11.17am and a montage was created from those single images
    A composite photo shows planes taking off from Heathrow in November 2016. Forty-two planes were captured between 10.17am and 11.17am and a montage was created from those single images
  • Items are arranged during an auction preview at Heathrow in 2018. The contents of Terminal 1, which closed in 2015, were being sold
    Items are arranged during an auction preview at Heathrow in 2018. The contents of Terminal 1, which closed in 2015, were being sold
  • An airline passenger wearing a face mask pushes her bags through Heathrow's Terminal 5 during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020
    An airline passenger wearing a face mask pushes her bags through Heathrow's Terminal 5 during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020
  • British Airways employees welcome Olympians returning from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021
    British Airways employees welcome Olympians returning from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021
  • Travellers wait in a long queue to pass through the security check in 2022
    Travellers wait in a long queue to pass through the security check in 2022

Mr Holland-Kaye said: “New colleagues are learning fast but are not yet up to full speed. However, there are some critical functions in the airport which are still significantly under-resourced, in particular ground handlers, who are contracted by airlines to provide check-in staff, load and unload bags and turnaround aircraft.

“They are doing the very best they can with the resources available and we are giving them as much support possible, but this is a significant constraint to the airport's overall capacity.

“However, over the past few weeks, as departing passenger numbers have regularly exceeded 100,000 a day, we have started to see periods when service drops to a level that is not acceptable: long queue times, delays for passengers requiring assistance, bags not travelling with passengers or arriving late, low punctuality and last-minute cancellations.

“Our colleagues are going above and beyond to get as many passengers away as possible, but we cannot put them at risk for their own safety and well-being.”

Queues at Heathrow Airport this month. PA
Queues at Heathrow Airport this month. PA

Mr Holland-Kaye said that because some airlines had taken action but others had not, it had been time to intervene with what he called a “capacity cap”, running from July 12 to September 11.

“Our assessment is that the maximum number of daily departing passengers that airlines, airline ground handlers and the airport can collectively serve over the summer is no more than 100,000,” he said.

“The latest forecasts indicate that even despite the amnesty, daily departing seats over the summer will average 104,000 — giving a daily excess of 4,000 seats. On average only about 1,500 of these 4,000 daily seats have currently been sold to passengers, and so we are asking our airline partners to stop selling summer tickets to limit the impact on passengers.”

He said the move was needed to protect the safety of staff and passengers.

Guy Hobbs, Acting Editor of Which? Travel, said: “While this cap may ease the unacceptable chaos passengers are facing at the UK's biggest airport, thousands of people will now be worrying about whether their flight or holiday plans are about to fall apart.

“Heathrow must work with airlines to quickly provide clarity on which flights are being cut, and airlines need to be upfront with those passengers affected about their right to be rebooked at the earliest opportunity.”

Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association and former head of British Airways, panned moves to tell airlines to limit the number of seats they sell to limit summer disruption.

He said the airport underestimated the speed of the pandemic recovery and was focused on profit at the expense of airlines that must now foot the bill.

Europe relaxes rules

Meanwhile, the European Commission proposed to make the bloc's “use-it-or-lose-it” airport slot rule more flexible to respond to unexpected developments in the future, such as pandemic or war.

Airlines normally have to use 80 per cent of their prescribed airport slots to avoid losing them to rivals, but the EU executive suspended the rule during the Covid-19 crisis and set the threshold at 64 per cent for the 2022 summer season.

The Commission announced on Tuesday that the standard slot use rate of 80 per cent would return on October 30, while also prolonging the possibility of applying the “justified non-use of slots” (JNUS) exemption created during the pandemic.

“Maintaining this tool will give us sufficient flexibility — an insurance — to act in case of a new deterioration of the public health situation, or indeed if we are faced with further fallout from the Russian war in Ukraine,” EU Transport Commissioner Adina Valean said in a statement.

Under the proposal, which will need approval by the European Parliament and EU governments, airlines would be allowed to use exemptions due to health emergencies, natural disasters or political unrest.

The Commission would be able to lower the use rate if air traffic falls below 80 per cent, compared with 2019 figures, for four consecutive weeks due to Covid-19 or as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The EU executive said it was also proposing measures to mitigate the consequences of the Ukraine war and to restore air connectivity between the EU and Ukraine when possible, including a 16-week recovery period before slot-use requirements become applicable again.

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

Results

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Gurm, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)

5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Al Nafece, Al Muatasm Al Balushi, Mohammed Ramadan

6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adrie de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel

6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Ottoman, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi

7pm: Liwa Oasis – Group 2 (PA) 300,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeemat Muscat, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ganbaru, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

The Case For Trump

By Victor Davis Hanson
 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Episode list:

Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery 

Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges 

Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic 

Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks 

Ep5: Travel and tourism 

Avatar%20(2009)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJames%20Cameron%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESam%20Worthington%2C%20Zoe%20Saldana%2C%20Sigourney%20Weaver%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

The Perfect Couple

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor

Creator: Jenna Lamia

Rating: 3/5

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus 

Tonight's Chat on The National

Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.

Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.

Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.

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Updated: July 12, 2022, 3:27 PM