For three weeks last month, passenger numbers at Heathrow topped 1.8 million per week for the first time.. Photo: Heathrow
For three weeks last month, passenger numbers at Heathrow topped 1.8 million per week for the first time.. Photo: Heathrow
For three weeks last month, passenger numbers at Heathrow topped 1.8 million per week for the first time.. Photo: Heathrow
For three weeks last month, passenger numbers at Heathrow topped 1.8 million per week for the first time.. Photo: Heathrow

ETA charge for Middle East travellers 'devastating for Heathrow competitiveness'


Matthew Davies
  • English
  • Arabic

Passenger numbers have plunged on routes affected by the British government's £10 per person electronic travel authorisation system, Heathrow Airport claimed on Monday.

The ETA scheme, launched in November last year, is aimed at people entering or transiting through Britain without legal residence or a visa.

Currently, the ETA scheme applies to passport holders from the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, but it is scheduled to be rolled out to the rest of the world in the autumn. It will apply to travellers from the EU, the European Economic Area and Swiss citizens from next year.

Heathrow said potential transit passengers are choosing alternative routes and bypassing the UK altogether, describing the ETA system as “devastating for our hub competitiveness”.

Passengers drop their bags off as they check-in for their flights in Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport. PA
Passengers drop their bags off as they check-in for their flights in Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport. PA

“While Heathrow continues to attract new routes and record passenger numbers, the latest data following the introduction of the ETA shows that Heathrow has lost 90,000 transfer passengers on routes operating to and from the seven countries included in the scheme, since its introduction in 2023,” the London airport said.

“We urge the government to review the inclusion of airside transit passengers.

“Every little bit of extra competitiveness that the government can deliver for aviation will help deliver vital growth for the whole of the UK economy.”

'Smashing' records

Passenger numbers for July show about eight million people passed through Heathrow in the month, outperforming other European airports, including Amsterdam's Schiphol and Charles de Gaulle in Paris.

For three weeks last month, passenger numbers at Heathrow topped 1.8 million per week for the first time.

“In July we were smashing a passenger record almost every single day and we're chasing down our never-before-seen goal of serving eight million passengers in a single month,” said Thomas Woldbye, chief executive at Heathrow.

Heathrow also saw an 8 per cent rise in cargo tonnage in July, compared to the same month last year.

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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
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Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

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Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah

Director: Majid Al Ansari

Rating: 4/5

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Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

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Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

THE NEW BATCH'S FOCUS SECTORS

AiFlux – renewables, oil and gas

DevisionX – manufacturing

Event Gates – security and manufacturing

Farmdar – agriculture

Farmin – smart cities

Greener Crop – agriculture

Ipera.ai – space digitisation

Lune Technologies – fibre-optics

Monak – delivery

NutzenTech – environment

Nybl – machine learning

Occicor – shelf management

Olymon Solutions – smart automation

Pivony – user-generated data

PowerDev – energy big data

Sav – finance

Searover – renewables

Swftbox – delivery

Trade Capital Partners – FinTech

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Workfam – employee engagement

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

The specs: 2018 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic HSE

Price, base / as tested: Dh263,235 / Dh420,000

Engine: 3.0-litre supercharged V6

Power 375hp @ 6,500rpm

Torque: 450Nm @ 3,500rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Fuel consumption, combined: 9.4L / 100kms

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1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

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Director: Stephen Gaghan

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One-and-a-half out of five stars

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The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

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

Rating: 4/5

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Lamsa

Founder: Badr Ward

Launched: 2014

Employees: 60

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: EdTech

Funding to date: $15 million

The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh135,000

Engine 1.6L turbo

Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode

Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds

Top speed 420 kph (governed)

Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)

In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
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  • Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
  • Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
  • Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
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Drivers’ championship standings after Singapore:

1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 212
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 138
6. Sergio Perez, Force India - 68

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Gulf Under 19s final

Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B

Trump v Khan

2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US

2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks

2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit

2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”

2022:  Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.

Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”

Updated: August 12, 2024, 10:27 AM