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Dubai: After a year of pandemic restrictions and passenger caps at London’s Heathrow Airport, UAE-UK air traffic is set to witness a strong recovery in winter 2022, travel experts operating in the sector have said. According to UAE’s leading travel provider dnata Travel, London Heathrow (LHR) is the second most booked route in terms of flight traffic, showing a 90 percent increase in bookings compared to 2021.
While a few travelers are concerned that a pre-Christmas strike by baggage handlers at Heathrow could affect their holiday plans, travel experts have confirmed that UAE carriers are not on the list of airlines affected by the strike.
Airlines likely to be affected by the three-day strike include Air Canada, American Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss Air, Air Portugal, Austrian Airlines, Qantas, Egypt Air, Aer Lingus and Finnair, experts familiar with the matter said.
Boom season for UAE-UK travel
said Mirah Ketait, Head of Retail and Leisure UAE at dnata Travel Gulf News, “Travel to UK and Europe trending for winter 2022-23 season. We are looking at a 90 per cent increase in bookings for this route compared to 2021.”
Mirah explained that the UK also ranked in our top three most in-demand destinations for hotel bookings for winter 2022-23, with London making up the majority (70 per cent) and other bookings spread across Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
“The popularity of these key UK cities for travel reflects a growing trend for consumers to choose hotel accommodation close to some of the world’s most famous festive themed markets and other events this winter,” she explained.
Additionally, inbound traffic from the UK to the UAE is also witnessing a strong recovery as many Britons are attracted to the emirate for its pleasant winter weather conditions. Afi Ahmed, Managing Director, Smart Travels said, “This is the era of leisure travel. Regarding UK-bound traffic, most British tourists living in the UAE are heading home for the Christmas holidays. And UAE-bound traffic from the UAE includes Brits who want to enjoy winter in the UAE. Furthermore, the ongoing FIFA World Cup is another reason for UK tourists to visit the Emirates in large numbers.
Economy airfare for a direct flight from Dubai to London averages Dh2,681, while a flight from Abu Dhabi costs Dh4,495 (Etihad Airways) departing on December 9 and returning on January 2, according to travel aggregator Skyscanner.
Avoid last minute visa applications
Regarding visa applications, VFS Global has also confirmed Gulf News That is witness to the continued demand for UK visas for year-end tours. However, it is still recommended that travelers apply for visas in advance to avoid last minute hassles.
According to a statement from UK Visas and Immigration, “It takes an average of five weeks to process a visit visa, including standard visitor visa applications; However, some applications may take longer. We are working hard to process requests to return to the three-week service standard.”
In the year ended September 2022, 2,610,024 visas were granted, which is 18 percent less (-561,705) than in calendar year 2019, mainly due to 1.2 million fewer grants of visitor visas. However, the total number of franchises continues to rise after the global pandemic.
“Of the visas granted in the last 12 months, 48 per cent were to visit, 23 per cent were under study routes, 15 per cent were under work routes, three per cent were for family reasons and 11 per cent were for other. reasons,” the official said.
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