The global pandemic has largely brought many people's travel plans to a halt this year, with flights grounded and border restrictions introduced across the world.
However, those missing the jet-set experience can now recreate the magic at home (if hot towels and cabin blankets are what you miss most about flying).
British Airways has launched a new homeware portal, where the airline is selling off accessories, crockery and textiles from its aircraft.
The What A Buy concept divides the airline's products, much like its air fares, into classes. The general category consists of a set of six white mugs from the World Traveller Plus cabin, as well as a four-shelf oven rack, used to heat up in-flight meals, which is up for grabs for £50 ($67).
The Club World category is designed to replicate the business class experience, with items such as a set of six steel bread baskets (£10) and square plates (£38 for five), used on the airline's Japan routes.
The First Class category is full of the airline's premium in-flight collectables from William Edwards-branded china tableware to a herringbone-patterned day blanket (£9).
A set of six dinner plates costs £40, while a plate designed to offer hot towels around the cabin goes for £20 for a pack of five.
"This is an incredible one-off opportunity for people to bring the magic of flying with British Airways into their own homes," said Carolina Martinoli, British Airways's director of brand and customer experience, in a statement.
"We know that these special items will fly and we are delighted to be able to offer them in time for Christmas to give people the opportunity to make it memorable during a difficult year."
Stock is predominately taken from the surplus supply or the airline's retired jumbo jets, and some popular items, such as drinks trolleys and Club World slippers, have already sold out since the website launched on Monday, November 23.
British Airways, which has cut thousands of jobs as its profits plummeted amid the pandemic, also sold off millions of pounds worth of art earlier this year to boost its finances.
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Click through the gallery below to see highlights from British Airways' 100 years in the skies:
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The final British Airways Concorde flight lifts off from John F Kennedy Airport in New York on its final voyage to London, on October 24, 2003. AFP -

The Royal Air Force Aerobatic team, the Red Arrows, and a British Airways Boeing 747 at 2019 Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, Britain, on July 20, 2019. EPA / RAF -

Concorde pictured at Al Bateen Airport in Abu Dhabi in July 1974. Courtesy: Peter Alvis -

A BOAC Boeing 707 taxing to its terminal gate as two Vickers VC10 long-range narrow-body four engined commercial jet airliners for the British Overseas Airways Corporation are refuelled at London Heathrow airport on October 22, 1968 in London. Getty Images -

A British Airways Airbus A380. Courtesy British Airways -

The British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Short Sandringham passenger flying boat a demilitarised conversions of the Short Sunderland military flying boat taxing for its maiden flight from the Short Brothers facility on 28 November 1945 at Rochester, United Kingdom. Getty Images -

A British Airways plane touches down in Phoenix in the US in 1996 with its Landor livery. Courtesy British Airways -

British Airways Concorde Flight 1215 passes through a water display provided by the Massport Fire Rescue Department after arriving at Logan International Airport from London on October 8, 2003 in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston was one of only three North American cities, including Washington, DC and Toronto, to receive a special farewell visit from the Concorde before the supersonic fleet was taken out of service. Getty Images / AFP -

A British Airways Boeing 747 passenger plane in historic BOAC livery. EPA -

Aviation pioneer Sir Alan Cobham (1894 - 1973, left) with Air Vice Marshal Donald Clifford Tyndall Bennett (1910 - 1986), Chief Executive of British South American Airways, in front of a converted Lancaster bomber at Heathrow Airport, UK, 28th May 1947. J Wilds / Keystone / Hulton Archive / Getty Images -

Miss Dorothy West, a hostess on a British European Airways, Viking, photographed at Northolt, Northolt. Year unknown. Getty Images -

The British European Airways (BEA) Vickers Viscount medium-range four engined turboprop commercial airliner circa 1960. Fox Photos / Hulton Archive / Getty Images -

The earliest production de Havilland DH-106 Comet 1 four engined pressurised passenger jet airliner registration G-ALYP of the British Overseas Airways Corporation flying above the United Kingdom with the first prototype Ministry of Supply Comet DH106 G-ALVG during trials on 4th April 1951. Central Press / Hulton Archive / Getty Images -

A British Airways special liveried Boeing 747 takes to the skies alongside the Red Arrows during the 2019 Royal International Air Tattoo on July 20, 2019 at RAF Fairford, England. The Boeing 747 has been painted in the airline's predecessor British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) livery to mark British Airways' centenary this year. Getty Images for British Airways -

British aircraft engineer Geoffrey de Havilland (1882 - 1965, centre) hands over the articles of a new Comet IV jet airliner to Sir Gerard d'Erlanger (right), Chairman of BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation), at London Airport, 30th September 1958. On the left is Aubrey F Burke, Managing Director of the de Havilland Aircraft Manufacturing Company. J Wilds / Keystone / Hulton Archive / Getty Images -

22nd November 1977: Captain Brian Walpole smiles from the cockpit of Concorde, having flown from London to New York on its first commercial flight. Brian Alpert / Keystone / Getty Images -

Spectators watch the last ever British Airways commercial Concorde flight touch down at Heathrow airport on October 24, 2003 in London. Getty Images -

Hawker Siddeley HS 121 Trident 1C medium-range commercial jet airliners for British European Airways (BEA) lined up at de Havillands Hatfield Aerodrome following a Far East sales drive on October 29, 1963 in London. Getty Images -

April 1946: Miss B Midgley of Northolt aerodrome stands under the nose of a BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) aircraft. She was one of ten 'air traffic girls' currently taking part in a course at Hurn airport, to learn how to deal professionally with passengers. Getty Images -

A Hawker Siddeley HS 121 Trident 2E registration G-AVFF and a Trident 3B registration G-AWZJ medium-range commercial jet airliners for British European Airways (BEA) lined up at their passenger terminal gates at London Heathrow airport on May 1, 1975 in London. Getty Images -

Concorde arrives at its final destination at The Museum of Flight, April 19, 2004 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Getty Images -

A mass meeting that took place at London Airport during a strike by 4,000 British Overseas Airways Corporation engineers, on October 16, 1958. Getty Images -

The second Anglo-French supersonic airliner, Concorde 002, at the British Aircraft Corporation's airfield at Filton, Bristol where it was construtcted. 002 is identical to Concorde 001, which was assembled in France, containing the same French and British built parts. Getty Images -

A British Airways flight from London arrives in Gibraltar on September 11, 2018. Getty Images -

A British Airways Airbus aircraft flies over the Queen Victoria Memorial at Buckingham Palace during the London 2012 Victory Parade for Team GB and Paralympic GB athletes on September 10, 2012 in London. Getty Images -

A British Airways plane flying past the moon on day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 28, 2012 in London. Getty Images -

A British Airways plane taxis from Heathrow's Terminal 5 on October 25, 2016 in London. Getty Images -

A British Airways plane makes its way towards City Airport, passing over the Shard building on February 14, 2019 in London, England. Getty Images -

British Overseas Airways Corporation de Havilland DH-106 Comet 1 four engined pressurised passenger jet airliner registration G-ALYP taking off from London Heathrow airport on the world's first commercial jetliner flight with fare-paying passengers to Johannesburg, South Africa on May 2, 1952. Getty Images -

Circa 1955: Passengers crossing the runway at Berlin's Tempelhof Airport to board a British European Airways flight. Getty Images -

A British Aircraft Corporation Super One-Eleven 500 short-range commercial jet airliner (BAC 1-11 ) for British European Airways (BEA) registration G-AVMH County of Cheshire flying above the United Kingdom circa June 1967. Getty Images -

The Vickers-Armstrongs Vickers Viscount 700 prototype medium-range commercial turboprop airliner for British European Airways (BEA) registration G-AMAV flying somewhere above the United Kingdom on April 18, 1953. Getty Images -

A converted Avro Lancaster heavy bomber the Avro 683 Lancastrian MkI passenger airliner of the BOAC - British Overseas Airways Corporation registration G-AGMO flying above the United Kingdom circa 1946. Getty Images
Squads
India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur
West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph
The biog
Name: Capt Shadia Khasif
Position: Head of the Criminal Registration Department at Hatta police
Family: Five sons and three daughters
The first female investigator in Hatta.
Role Model: Father
She believes that there is a solution to every problem
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Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
While you're here
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Federer's 19 grand slam titles
Australian Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Marat Safin; 2006 bt Marcos Baghdatis; 2007 bt Fernando Gonzalez; 2010 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Rafael Nadal
French Open (1 title) - 2009 bt Robin Soderling
Wimbledon (8 titles) - 2003 bt Mark Philippoussis; 2004 bt Andy Roddick; 2005 bt Andy Roddick; 2006 bt Rafael Nadal; 2007 bt Rafael Nadal; 2009 bt Andy Roddick; 2012 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Marin Cilic
US Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Lleyton Hewitt; 2005 bt Andre Agassi; 2006 bt Andy Roddick; 2007 bt Novak Djokovic; 2008 bt Andy Murray
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Most wanted allegations
- Benjamin Macann, 32: involvement in cocaine smuggling gang.
- Jack Mayle, 30: sold drugs from a phone line called the Flavour Quest.
- Callum Halpin, 27: over the 2018 murder of a rival drug dealer.
- Asim Naveed, 29: accused of being the leader of a gang that imported cocaine.
- Calvin Parris, 32: accused of buying cocaine from Naveed and selling it on.
- John James Jones, 31: allegedly stabbed two people causing serious injuries.
- Callum Michael Allan, 23: alleged drug dealing and assaulting an emergency worker.
- Dean Garforth, 29: part of a crime gang that sold drugs and guns.
- Joshua Dillon Hendry, 30: accused of trafficking heroin and crack cocain.
- Mark Francis Roberts, 28: grievous bodily harm after a bungled attempt to steal a £60,000 watch.
- James ‘Jamie’ Stevenson, 56: for arson and over the seizure of a tonne of cocaine.
- Nana Oppong, 41: shot a man eight times in a suspected gangland reprisal attack.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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WIDE%20VIEW
The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
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
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Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
The%20Sandman
Summer special
Royal Birkdale Golf Course
Location: Southport, Merseyside, England
Established: 1889
Type: Private
Total holes: 18
Bib%20Gourmand%20restaurants
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Ukraine
Capital: Kiev
Population: 44.13 million
Armed conflict in Donbass
Russia-backed fighters control territory
'C'mon C'mon'
Director:Mike Mills
Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman
Rating: 4/5
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
The biog
Hobby: "It is not really a hobby but I am very curious person. I love reading and spend hours on research."
Favourite author: Malcom Gladwell
Favourite travel destination: "Antigua in the Caribbean because I have emotional attachment to it. It is where I got married."



