What we know about Heathrow Airport

What we know about Heathrow Airport
London’s Heathrow Airport is Europe’s busiest. (FILE/REUTERS)
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Updated 21 March 2025
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What we know about Heathrow Airport

What we know about Heathrow Airport

Britain’s Heathrow Airport, a major travel hub, said it would be closed all of Friday after a huge fire at a nearby electrical substation wiped out power, disrupting flight schedules around the world.

Here are some facts about one of the world’s busiest international airport:

HISTORY:

  • The airport is named after the village or hamlet of Heathrow, which used to be roughly where Terminal 3 now stands.
  • It began as a tented village in 1946 serving 18 destinations with a handful of airlines making 9,000 flights a year.
  • The first departure was on New Year’s Day 1946 to Buenos Aires via Lisbon, the first refueling stop on a long-haul flight to open up Britain’s first air link with South America.
  • Heathrow’s first terminal for short haul flights opened in 1955. Originally known as the Europa Building, it is now known as Terminal 2.
  • Terminal 1 was formally opened in 1969 by Queen Elizabeth and was closed in June 2015. Terminal 3 opened in 1961 and Terminal 4 in 1986.
  • Terminal 5 opened in 2008. The public inquiry into its construction was the longest in British planning history, lasting nearly four years.




(FILE/AFP)


KEY NUMBERS:

  • Heathrow serves over 230 destinations in nearly 90 countries.
  • 90 airlines have made Heathrow their base, including British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Lufthansa.
  • There are two main runways. The northern one is 3,902 meters long. The southern is 3,658 meters.
  • The airport will submit its proposal for a third runway this summer, weeks after the British government granted its support to the project citing its potential to boost trade and economic growth.
  • According to the group’s traffic summary, 5.7 million passengers traveled through Heathrow in February 2025, making it the busiest February on record. Passenger numbers amounted to 84.1 million from March 2024 to February 2025.
  • Heathrow is operating at 99 percent capacity and risks being overtaken by European rivals. Its two runways compare with four each at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt Airport, and six at Amsterdam’s Schiphol.
  • There are around 475,000 total aircraft movements annually.
  • The most popular destination is New York.
  • Over 90,000 people work at the airport, the UK’s largest single-site employer.

Filipino Muslims flock to Manila food hub for halal meals during Ramadan

Filipino Muslims flock to Manila food hub for halal meals during Ramadan
Updated 20 min 19 sec ago
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Filipino Muslims flock to Manila food hub for halal meals during Ramadan

Filipino Muslims flock to Manila food hub for halal meals during Ramadan
  • Philippine capital region is home to more than 173,000 Filipino Muslims
  • Food sellers on Manila’s Padre Campa Street offer halal meals, including Mindanao dishes

Manila: In the heart of Manila’s bustling University Belt, a food street known for its diverse culinary offerings has grown into a go-to spot for Filipino Muslims during Ramadan, as they search for halal food that reminds them of home.

The halal eateries along Padre Campa Street, a hub for grub located near the capital’s top colleges and universities, have in recent years become a haven for Muslim minorities, including Hanan, who is from Mindanao’s Sultan Kudarat province.

“I miss a lot of food from home, especially the ones prepared by my mom for iftar,” Hanan, who gave only her first name, told Arab News.

As she spent the holy month in Manila to prepare for a licensing exam, Hanan said finding halal food to break the fast was not as easy as it was back home.

“Fasting here is a bit difficult for us because not all the stores here are certified halal. So, we can only pick certain stores, and this is the only specific store we know is safe for us to eat.”

There are about 12 million Muslims in the predominantly Catholic Philippines, making up around 10 percent of its entire population.

While most live on the island of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago in the country’s south, the Metro Manila capital region is also home to over 173,000 Filipino Muslims.

Along with the government’s recent efforts to promote halal cuisine from Mindanao, such food has become increasingly available in the Philippines’ largest metropolitan area.

But on Padre Campa Street, the presence of halal food stalls has a longer history that can be traced to the owners’ desire to cater to the minority Muslim community.

“We serve native delicacies because there are many Muslims in this area,” Ferdanah Talib, who is from Mindanao’s Zamboanga Sibugay province, told Arab News.

Her brother opened the Halal Avenue food stall in 2017, selling dishes like barbecue chicken and grilled fish, as well as traditional meals like binaki, steamed corn dessert and snacks originating from Mindanao and Cebu.

“It’s our way of supporting our fellow Muslims here, especially during Ramadan. Our store opens at 4:30 p.m. until midnight,” Talib said.

Mary Ann Serra, a Filipina Christian who had worked in Malaysia and spent time in Mindanao, has kept her food shop halal since she opened it over a decade ago.

“We opened this store in 2012, and from the start, it has always been halal,” Serra told Arab News.

“We noticed that there were many Muslims in the area, but there were no halal places to eat. So, we thought, what if we try opening a halal restaurant? Especially during Ramadan, it’s hard for them because there’s nothing for them to eat.”

While her shop specializes in the delicacies of Tausug, one of the largest Muslim ethnic groups in southwestern Philippines, it also sells simple mainstream dishes.

“What our customers keep coming back for are the chicken barbecue, grilled fish, and squid. We also have dishes like tiyula itum, or black soup,” Serra said.

Many Filipino Muslims, even those who are in the capital for a short stay, have grown fond of the food street.

“This is my third time spending Ramadan here in Metro Manila … It really means a lot to us to have a place like this because as Muslims, what we’re really looking for is halal food. We don’t have many places to go for food,” Arsie Muin, who is from Zamboanga City, told Arab News.

“It’s also good because they serve some native delicacies,” he said. “We are really grateful that this place exists.”


Closing Bell: Saudi main index edges down to close at 11,694

Closing Bell: Saudi main index edges down to close at 11,694
Updated 23 min 38 sec ago
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Closing Bell: Saudi main index edges down to close at 11,694

Closing Bell: Saudi main index edges down to close at 11,694

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index slipped on Sunday, losing 65.55 points, or 0.56 percent, to close at 11,694.77.

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR2.64 billion ($704 million), as 85 of the stocks advanced and 155 retreated.   

On the other hand, the Kingdom’s parallel market, Nomu, gained 13.93 points, or 0.05 percent, to close at 30,535.46. This comes as 36 stocks advanced while 48 retreated.   

The MSCI Tadawul Index lost 10.73 points, or 0.72 percent, to close at 1,479.47.    

The best-performing stock was Al-Babtain Power and Telecommunication Co., whose share price surged 9.98 percent to SR46.30.  

Other top performers included Alujain Corp., whose share price rose 8.65 percent to SR37.70, as well as Arriyadh Development Co., whose share price surged 6.05 percent to SR34.20.

Naseej International Trading Co. recorded the most significant drop, falling 9.58 percent to SR84.

Al-Rajhi Co. for Cooperative Insurance also saw its stock prices fall 4.63 percent to SR136.

Banan Real Estate Co. also saw its stock prices decline 4.31 percent to SR6.22.

On the announcements front, Tam Development Co. declared its annual financial results for the year ending on Dec. 31, 2024. According to a Tadawul statement, the firm reported a net profit of SR30.13 million in 2024, reflecting a 25.77 percent drop compared to 2023. 

The decrease in net profit is primarily attributed to delays in government project awards and budget reviews in the first half of 2024 which affected contract pricing revenue recognition and utilization rates as well as strategic investments in talent acquisition and competitive pricing to secure new logo accounts temporarily compressing margins.

The drop was also linked to higher general and administrative expenses which increased 39 percent due to workforce expansion to support growth.

Tam Development Co. ended the session at SR175.80, down 6.02 percent.

Riyadh Steel Co. has also announced its annual financial results for the year, which ended on Dec. 31, 2024. A bourse filing revealed that the company reported a net profit of SR1.99 million in 2024, reflecting an 82.06 percent drop compared to 2023. This decline is owed to a reduction in selling prices, a decrease in other income, and higher expenses in comparison to the previous year.

Riyadh Steel Co. ended the session at SR2.01, down 0.49 percent.

Middle East Pharmaceutical Industries Co. has announced its annual financial results for the year, which ended on Dec. 31. According to a Tadawul statement, the firm reported a net profit of SR79.85 million in 2024, reflecting a 21.3 percent drop compared to 2023. 

This increase in net profit is primarily attributed to strong revenue growth and a higher gross profit margin, driven by product mix diversification and economies of scale from increased production. Nevertheless, the gain in gross profit was partially offset by higher selling, distribution, and general administrative expenses, which were largely due to ongoing investments in marketing, talent acquisition, and other growth-related initiatives.

Middle East Pharmaceutical Industries Co. ended the session at SR135.40, down 1.34 percent.

Alandalus Property Co. also announced its annual financial results for the year ending Dec. 31, 2024.

A bourse filing revealed that the company reported a net loss of SR31.6 million in 2024, down from an SR36.42 million net profit in 2023. This decline is primarily attributed to a decrease in operating profit resulting from operational losses incurred by some affiliated companies, particularly West Jeddah Hospital, due to the opening and commencement of operations at Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib Medical Hospital in Jeddah at the end of the first quarter of 2024, along with recorded losses in Al-Jawhara Al-Kubra Co. The net loss is also linked to an increase in general and administrative expenses along with a 31 percent surge in financing costs compared to the previous year.

Alandalus Property Co. ended the session at SR23.00, down 1.13 percent.


Saudi FM arrives in Cairo to chair meeting of Ministerial Committee on Gaza

Saudi FM arrives in Cairo to chair meeting of Ministerial Committee on Gaza
Updated 23 min 59 sec ago
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Saudi FM arrives in Cairo to chair meeting of Ministerial Committee on Gaza

Saudi FM arrives in Cairo to chair meeting of Ministerial Committee on Gaza

CAIRO: Saudi Arabia's foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Cairo on Sunday to chair a meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Gaza.

More to follow...


KSrelief provides aid to Syria, Sudan, Lebanon

KSrelief provides aid to Syria, Sudan, Lebanon
Updated 30 min 11 sec ago
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KSrelief provides aid to Syria, Sudan, Lebanon

KSrelief provides aid to Syria, Sudan, Lebanon

RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief has delivered thousands of food packages to some of the world’s most vulnerable people, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.

KSrelief distributed 143 packages to families in need in Qatana city in Rif Dimashq governorate — as part of the Etaam Ramadan Food Basket Project — in the Syrian Arab Republic.

KSrelief also provided 259 food baskets to families in Shinshar village in the Homs governorate, benefiting 974 individuals.

The Etaam project, which is now in its fourth phase, aims to distribute more than 390,000 food parcels in 27 countries during Ramadan, benefiting 2.3 million people at a cost of more than SR67 million ($17.8 million).

In addition, some 430 food packages were distributed in Port Sudan, benefiting 2,395 needy and displaced people in that country.

KSrelief also distributed 800 shopping vouchers and 500 food baskets in Akkar governorate, northern Lebanon, helping 3,300 individuals.


Kremlin says ‘difficult negotiations’ ahead on Ukraine

Kremlin says ‘difficult negotiations’ ahead on Ukraine
Updated 23 March 2025
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Kremlin says ‘difficult negotiations’ ahead on Ukraine

Kremlin says ‘difficult negotiations’ ahead on Ukraine
  • Delegations from Russia and Ukraine are set to hold separate talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia

MOSCOW : The Kremlin on Sunday downplayed expectations for a rapid resolution to the Ukraine conflict, saying talks were just beginning and that “difficult negotiations” were ahead.
Delegations from Russia and Ukraine are set to hold separate talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia over the next 48 hours as President Donald Trump pushes for a rapid end to more than three years of fighting.
“We are only at the beginning of this path,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state TV.
He said there were many outstanding “questions” and “nuances” over how a potential ceasefire might be implemented.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has rejected a joint US-Ukrainian call for a full and immediate 30-day pause, proposing instead to halt attacks only on energy facilities.
“There are difficult negotiations ahead,” Peskov said in the interview, published on social media.
He also said Russia’s “main” focus in its talks with the United States would be discussing a possible resumption of a 2022 Black Sea grain deal that ensured safe navigation for Ukrainian agricultural exports in the Black Sea.
“On Monday we mainly intend to discuss President Putin’s agreement to resume the so-called Black Sea initiative, and our negotiators will be ready to discuss the nuances around this problem,” Peskov said.
Moscow pulled out of the deal — brokered by Turkiye and the United Nations — in 2023, accusing the West of failing to uphold its commitments to ease sanctions on Russia’s own exports of agricultural products and fertilizers.