Winters of 2022 are bringing cheers back to Heathrow Airport, London. This season is experiencing a robust recovery in UAE-UK air traffic since passenger caps and restrictions triggered by the pandemic last year. Dnata Travel, a leading travel provider in the UAE mentioned LHR (London Heathrow) as the second most booked route when it comes to flight traffic. Bookings on this route increased by 90% as compared to the numbers in 2021.
Some travellers are concerned about the impact on their holiday plans caused by baggage handlers going on strike at Heathrow airport. However, travel experts cleared the air here by stating that the strike won’t affect the UAE carriers. Air Canada, Swiss Air, Egypt Air, Lufthansa, American Airlines, Air Portugal, Finnair, Aer Lingus, Qantas, and Australian Airlines are the ones the three-day strike will likely affect.
According to Dnata Travel’s Head of Retail & Leisure in UAE, Meerah Ketait, “Travel to the UK and Europe is prevalent for the winter 2022- 23 season. We are witnessing a 90 per cent increase in bookings for this route compared to 2021.”
As per Meerah, the UK is now on the list of top three destinations for winter 2022-23 hotel bookings that are in the most demand among travellers from UAE. In terms of cities, London takes up the majority of bookings (70%). Other top cities on the list include Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Manchester.
She further added, “The popularity of these major UK cities for travel represents a growing trend for customers to opt for hotel stays close to some of the world’s most famous festive-themed markets and other events this winter.”
On the flip side, there’s also a strong recovery in the UK to UAE air traffic due to Britons’ attraction towards pleasant weather conditions of Emirates winters. Smart Travels MD, Afi Ahmed referred to this time as the one for leisure travel. He justified the surge in UK-bound traffic as British expatriates heading home for Christmas from the UAE. Conversely, those travelling to the UAE from the UK include Britons willing to enjoy winters here. In addition, the FIFA World Cup is the current major reason for travellers coming to the UAE from the UK.
A confirmation has come from VFS Global to Gulf News stating a steady demand for UK visas for end-of-year travel. However, travellers are still advised to apply well in advance to avoid any trouble at the last minute.
UK Visas and Immigration also gave a statement on this matter. It says that the average processing time for visit visas, including standard visitor visa applications is five weeks and it might take longer to process some applications. The officials stated that they are working hard to get back to the 3-week standard processing time.
For the year ending September 2022, 2,610,024 visas were granted that’s 18% less than the number achieved in the 2019 calendar year. However, post-pandemic, the total count of franchises has continued to rise.
The authority also shared a bifurcation of visa types granted in the last 12 months. Among all, 48% were visit visas, 23% were for study routes, 15% for work, and 3% for family reasons. The remaining 11% were for other reasons.