Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson is headed to free agency after an injury-riddled 2025 season, appearing in only seven games.
Hendrickson has been with the Bengals for the last five seasons. However, his stay in Cincinnati will likely end soon due to the franchise’s complicated salary cap situation.
Thanks for the submission!
Advertisement
NFL insider Cameron Wolfe said Hendrickson’s reunion with the Bengals is unlikely. He named the Indianapolis Colts, worth $5.9 billion (according to Forbes), as a potential landing spot for the four-time Pro Bowler.
•
Advertisement
“A source told me he figures it’s unlikely for these two sides to reunite going into next season,” Wolfe said on Saturday, via “The Wolfe of Ball Street.” “A difficult decision for Cincy because their relationship has not been great in recent weeks, and I’m told that if this deal does end up happening, free agency-wise, keep an eye on the Indianapolis Colts.
Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!
Advertisement
“It’s a team that wants to be aggressive. They made the big splash move for Sauce Gardner mid-season. Lou Anarumo has a lot of familiarity with Trey Hendrickson. They just hired a D-line coach named Marion Hobby who coached Trey Hendrickson for four years in Cincinnati when they were all together.”
Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo spent six years with the Bengals in the same role. He helped Hendrickson record 57 sacks and earn four Pro Bowl honors before leaving at the end of the 2024 season.
Bengals “unlikely” to give franchise tag to Trey Hendrickson
Trey Hendrickson posted 17.5 sacks in consecutive seasons before a hip injury restricted him to just four sacks in 2025. The veteran defensive end had lengthy negotiations with the Bengals last offseason and was expected to get a franchise tag this year.
Advertisement
However, the Bengals are unlikely to tag him as it would cost them $30.2 million. The franchise tag window will open on Tuesday until March 3.
Pakistan’s captain Salman Ali Agha, left, looks at India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav (AP Photo/)
There was no handshake after the match between India and Pakistan at the T20 World Cup clash in Colombo, continuing the icy stand-off that began during the Asia Cup last September.“I will break the suspense tomorrow. Wait for 24 hours,” Suryakumar Yadav had said on the eve of the match. Twenty four hours later, the message was clear and unambiguous. There would be no handshakes.
India vs Pakistan prediction: Greenstone Lobo reveals the winner
The frost between the two sides remained evident not only at the toss but also after the game. Just as in their meetings during the Asia Cup in Dubai last year, the players did not exchange handshakes once the contest ended on Sunday.On the field, India produced a commanding performance. Opener Ishan Kishan’s supersonic 77 off 40 balls powered India to 175 for seven after being asked to bat first on a tacky surface. He shared an 87 run stand with Tilak Varma, whose contribution was 11, as Kishan dominated the Pakistan attack.The match began on an unusual note with Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha bringing himself on for off spin in the first over and dismissing Abhishek Sharma, who holed out to Shaheen Shah Afridi. Saim Ayub, who finished with 3 for 25, and Agha kept the pressure on during the power play.Kishan, however, turned the tide. He pulled Afridi for a towering six and then dismantled the spinners. Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan were struck for boundaries and sixes as Kishan raced to a 27 ball fifty. He eventually fell trying to carve Ayub over mid wicket, missing the ball and losing his stumps.Pakistan clawed back through Ayub, who removed Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya off successive deliveries to leave India at 126 for four. Suryakumar Yadav made 32 off 28 balls, while Shivam Dube added 27 off 17. A 15 run final over from Afridi, in which Dube and Rinku Singh attacked, carried India to 175 for seven.In reply, India’s bowlers never allowed Pakistan to settle. Hardik Pandya struck in the opening over to dismiss Sahibzada Farhan for a duck. Jasprit Bumrah followed with a double strike, removing Saim Ayub and Salman Agha as Pakistan slumped to 13 for three.Axar Patel bowled Babar Azam and later dismissed Usman Khan, who top scored with 44 off 34 balls. A brief 39 run partnership between Usman and Shadab Khan offered resistance before another collapse set in.Varun Chakravarthy claimed two wickets in the 16th over, and Hardik returned to take the final wicket as Pakistan were bowled out for 114 in the 18th over. Hardik, Bumrah, Axar and Varun took two wickets each, while Kuldeep Yadav and Tilak Varma picked up one apiece.
Carrick, by contrast, has arguably taken a completely different approach, focusing on the fundamentals, with United appearing significantly improved compared to their performances under Ruben Amorim. Whilst he was only brought in as interim manager until the end of the season, Carrick has positioned himself strongly to potentially remain in charge beyond that point.
Advertisement
A fifth straight win was the aim last Tuesday night, but United had to settle for a draw against West Ham following victories over Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham and Tottenham. Meanwhile, United have been linked with several managers, including England boss Thomas Tuchel.
A contract extension for the 52-year-old, announced earlier this week, is anticipated to see interest from Old Trafford diminish. Carlo Ancelotti, Luis Enrique and Julian Nagelsmann are amongst other top-tier candidates being discussed, with Simeone’s name continuing to feature prominently.
Former Premier League midfielder Andy Townsend is the latest to back him for the role. Speaking to Boylesports, he said: “I think you have to be looking for an elite manager, someone that has dealt with the very biggest players and personalities and has handled pressure from above and the terraces
Advertisement
“I don’t think Antonio Conte would be the right fit. Out of all of them, the one manager I would like to see at United is Diego Simeone.”
“I think his football and the way his Atletico Madrid team have played is kind of more suited to the Premier League. I don’t think his style of play would please the United fans. They want something more flamboyant.
“But at the moment, United need to get back on level terms with the likes of City and Liverpool and try to get ahead of Arsenal, I don’t think you want someone who’s talking about the beautiful game.
“You need someone who is prepared to put massive demands on the players on a consistent basis and drag performances and victories out of them. Only Simeone has those qualities.”
He admitted: “I think Michael Carrick has done a really good job since he’s come in. Some of the decisions he’s made have been very straightforward, like playing Kobbie Mainoo. He’s been naming unchanged starting line-ups and that’s never a bad thing.
“If you’ve got a winning team, don’t change it. Too many managers rotate players when their team’s been on a good run. All of a sudden, they’re giving this player a game, that player a game, but when you have a winning team, and they look like they’re enjoying things, just roll with it.
Advertisement
“Keep going. Live in that moment. Suddenly, you’re five games unbeaten as United are. There’s a simplicity and an effectiveness to what Michael has done and he’s doing it in an understated manner.”
“I’ve said it for years, I’d like to see Atletico Madrid’s Simeone, I’d like to see him go in there,” he stated on Stick to Football back in October.
“I know his mate’s [Andrea Berta, sporting director] gone to Arsenal, but I think he would just create havoc, but good havoc.
Advertisement
“I think he’d rock up to that place and say, ‘This is how you do things.’ No guarantee, but I’d just like to see his personality, and his track record..”
Keane continued: “People might think styles of football, they beat Real Madrid, they scored five last weekend. This idea that he’s defensive… Yeah, he doesn’t like his team giving up too many goals or chances, but they can play a bit.
“Liverpool a few weeks ago [3-2 defeat], the team aren’t as great as they were a few years ago but there’s still that fighting spirit. He’s on the sideline causing… He got sent off that night [against Liverpool], didn’t he? I’d like a big personality.”
Advertisement
Recent weeks have brought contrasting fortunes for Simeone’s Atletico, with a contentious 4-0 Copa del Rey semi-final victory over Barcelona sandwiched between losses to Real Betis and Rayo Vallecano.
The recent La Liga match resulted in a 3-0 loss for Atletico, with points lost against Levante late last month leaving them trailing leaders Real by 15 points.
Chris Waller proclaimed Joliestar the finished article after the mare strengthened her impeccable fresh record by securing the Expressway Stakes at Randwick.
Waller admitted doubt as Caballus ($4.60), once from the same stable, took a firm grip on proceedings mid-straight, unsure if Joliestar ($2.60 fav) had the measure.
The mare responded by laying back her ears and grinding forward, collaring the Bjorn Baker charge and striding away to triumph by 1-1/4 lengths ahead of stablemate Lady Shenandoah ($6), who was a head adrift in third.
“She is a true horse now. Last year we were saying we needed her to settle and relax and do the little things right, and she does that now,” Waller said.
Advertisement
“James (McDonald) put her into a beautiful position and tactically, that was great because it was a sprint home.
“Tommy (Berry on Caballus) just about pinched the race. James didn’t go around them, he just stuck to the basics and rode her like a jockey should.”
Plans call for Joliestar to remain fresh throughout autumn, with the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) on March 7 as her immediate aim, followed by the T J Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick in April.
Royal Ascot looms large thereafter.
Advertisement
“She is a foolproof horse. She runs well fresh and hopefully that will be her autumn – Canterbury Stakes, T J, and we might get on a plane after that,” Waller said.
Waller was excited by Lady Shenandoah’s strong finishing burst upon resuming, while Angel Capital ($2.90) needed vet clearance after misbehaving in the gates.
He crossed the line fourth, 3-1/2 lengths away, having pulled hard initially then closing off.
Waller shrugged off the run, insisting the entire suits quicker races.
Subjects undertook tendon vibration before their workout / Shuttterstock/Gerain0812
Vibrating tendons before cycling allows people to push harder without feeling mental strain, according to a study.
The research was undertaken by Benjamin Pageaux, a professor in the School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences at Université de Montréal, working with researchers from Université Savoie Mont Blanc in France.
Volunteers took part in lab tests on stationary bikes. Each completed two sessions – one after tendon vibration and another without.
Advertisement
The device was strapped to Achilles and knee tendons and activated for 10 minutes before cycling. After that, participants cycled for three minutes at a pace they perceived as either moderate or intense, adjusting their effort to match their target.
After tendon vibration, participants produced more power and showed higher heart rates compared to sessions without the pre-exercise vibration. However, even though their bodies were working harder, their sense of effort did not increase.
Changing ‘effort signals’
While the precise biological mechanisms are still being studied, Pageaux has suggested possible explanations.
Advertisement
“Depending on the amplitude and frequency of the vibration, we can either excite or inhibit neurons in the spinal cord,” he said. “Prolonged vibration changes the reactivity of the neuromuscular spindles and alters the signal sent to the brain.”
By changing these ‘effort signals’ travelling from the muscles to the brain, vibration appears to reshape how movement and exertion are perceived.
This brain-body disconnect could help make exercise feel less intimidating for people who struggle to stay active.
The perception of how hard exercise is plays a role in whether people stick with it. When it feels overwhelming, they’re more likely to stop or avoid it, whereas if it feels manageable, it becomes more enjoyable and easier to continue over time.
Advertisement
This raises the question of whether the feeling of effort could be reduced, helping people push past the sense that exercise is too hard.
Encouraging people to stay active
The research is still in its early stages, with the testing limited to these cycling sessions under controlled conditions.
“It hasn’t been tested in a marathon, only during a short, three-minute cycling exercise,” Pageaux says. “However, this is the first time the effect has been shown to work with this type of exercise.”
Advertisement
The team will now examine brain activity more closely during exercise, using electroencephalography and MRI to see how tendon vibration influences neural activity during exertion.
The researchers are also studying the reverse process to understand how pain and fatigue amplify the feeling of effort and make physical activity feel more difficult.
Ultimately, the goal is to develop strategies that lower perceived effort and help more people become physically active, especially those who are currently sedentary.
“By gaining a better understanding of how the brain evaluates the link between effort and perceived reward during exercise, we hope to promote more regular physical activity,” Pageaux said.
Advertisement
Prolonged passive vibration of Achilles and patellar tendons decreases effort perception during subsequent cycling tasks was published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science
Indicators from last year’s Coolmore Stud Stakes were there, but the Black Caviar Lightning cemented the status, crowning Tentyris as Australia’s budding sprint phenomenon on Saturday at Flemington.
Trained by the Freedman duo of Anthony and Sam, the colt claimed a second straight Group 1 with a explosive run against top weight-for-age opponents in the 1000-metre sprint.
It was his initial appearance since outclassing his contemporaries in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) during Derby Day, as Sam Freedman shared how his seasoned father – ex-member of the famed ‘FBI’, Freedman Brothers Incorporated – rated this horse highly.
“He has been in the game for so long and he said to me at the end of the spring campaign, this might be the best horse you ever train,” Sam said.
Advertisement
“(I said) I thought you might be suggesting you trained one better back in the 1990s and 2000s – there was a bit of cheek there, they had Mahogany and Schillaci – but he’s building his own record that will hopefully be right up there with some of the best.”
Street Boss-sired Tentyris ($2.60 fav) flew late from last among eight starters to duplicate the Coolmore quinella, placing John McArdle’s filly My Gladiola second once more.
In the Lightning, $7 elect My Gladiola closed the 2-1/4 length Coolmore deficit to three-quarters, Benedetta ($26) third by identical measure.
After steering Tentyris to second in the prior year’s Blue Diamond Stakes, Damian Lane returned Saturday replacing sidelined Mark Zahra and dubbed him an ‘incredible talent’.
Advertisement
“We just only had the one play with him with how he steps out of the barriers, it was just a risk whether the 1000 was going to be too short (but) it certainly wasn’t,” Lane said.
“Mid-race I had to ask him to pick up the bridle and when he did, he really joined in well and as had become his trademark, that last bit of his race was outstanding.”
Lane celebrated four wins via the Lightning, adding Group 3 C S Hayes Stakes on Sixties and Listed races on Hard Kick and Sass Appeal.
Freedman eyes the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington March 7 where Tentyris sits $2 favourite, his favoured option pending weight, and racing fans should examine racing betting markets for upcoming action.
Advertisement
“I would love to come to the Newmarket if he was not heavily penalised for the victory. It’s not easy for a three-year-old to carry a big weight like that,” he said.
“We’ll have to have a chat about where he goes, but I can assure you it’s a very good problem to have.”
Most current and former stars are at the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend, except former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan. Instead of participating in the league’s annual event, Jordan was seen at the Indy 500 on Sunday. After his sighting, fans revealed some of what they think about the six-time champion.
In the 2025-26 season, the league returned to NBC, and Jordan had some involvement to celebrate. The Bulls star was introduced as a special contributor for the network’s commentary team. However, fans were disappointed that it was just a one-on-one interview with Mike Tirico via the “MJ: Insights To Excellence” series.
Thanks for the submission!
Advertisement
Advertisement
•
Fans erupted on X, and here are some of what the fans said about Jordan.
“Hilarious that he cares about NASCAR more than the nba,” a fan said.
@big_business_ Hilarious that he cares about NASCAR more than the nba
“NBC would have paid 5 million for this, he’s giving it out to FOX for free,” one fan said.
More fans noticed how Michael Jordan puts NASCAR ahead of the NBA.
“It’s pretty clear at this point MJ loves NASCAR way more than the NBA or NBC. He won’t even do a live segment for the NBA on NBC but he does it for NASCAR and FOX didn’t even pay Mike for this,” someone commented.
@NASCARONFOX It’s pretty clear at this point MJ loves NASCAR way more than the NBA or NBC. He won’t even do a live segment for the NBA on NBC but he does it for NASCAR and FOX didn’t even pay Mike for this.
“That’s odd, didn’t go to the @NBA #AllStarWeekend doe 🤔” a comment read.
“Top 3 ever, been on NBC all season and he at the Racetrack during NBA All-Star weekend. Their old heads don’t care about it why they expect us to?” one fan commented.
Streamer IShowSpeed missed out on meeting Michael Jordan
Although his playing days have been over since 2003, Michael Jordan still attracts younger fans. One of the fans who was close to meeting him was streamer IShowSpeed. The online sensations recently wrapped up his tour in Africa and revealed that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo offered to introduce him to Jordan.
Unfortunately for Speed, the meetup didn’t happen, and he revealed why during an interview with Yahoo Sports Mail on Thursday.
Advertisement
“Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. That didn’t happen,” Speed said. “I was on tour, and it was like a risk of, like, I would have to pause my tour for five days. And I would just mess up too many logistics and it just would have been, like it just would have been a hassle just to clean it up. But there’s always another try.”
However, Speed remains optimistic that he will meet Michael Jordan next time.
Australian Open full list of men’s singles champion
4 min read Last Updated : Feb 01 2026 | 5:31 PM IST
The Australian Open 2026 came to a conclusion today at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park as Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic in a 4-set thriller in the men’s singles final to lift his 7th major title.
In terms of the most decorated players in the Australian Open men’s singles event, Novak Djokovic leads the table with ten titles to his name, all in the Open era. Roy Emerson, with six titles, leads the list of most successful players during the amateur era.
Australian Open: Full list of men’s singles winners and runners-up
Ishan Kishan plays a shot during an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 cricket match between India and Pakistan, at R Premadasa Stadium, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (PTI Photo)
TimesofIndia.com in Colombo: On a surface where timing was a luxury and survival itself felt like an act of resistance, Ishan Kishan produced one of the most belligerent innings of the ongoing T20 World Cup. Against Pakistan, on a R Premadasa Stadium pitch that gripped, turned and repeatedly forced batters to check their strokes, Kishan played an innings that lifted India to 175 for 7.The left-hander scored a stroke-filled 77 off 40 balls, while the rest of the Indian batters managed only 98 runs off 80 deliveries.From the very start, the signs were unmistakable. When Shaheen Afridi dug one in short, Kishan swivelled and sent it soaring into the stands. It was not reckless bravado. It was intent. With purchase for the spinners, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha opened the bowling himself and got rid of Abhishek Sharma, the batter everyone was talking about before the match.What transpired was a four-ball duck for Abhishek, who is yet to open his account in the T20 World Cup. Salman’s decision to open the bowling turned out to be a masterstroke. After three dot balls, Abhishek decided to go for a hoick, but the delivery was not there to pull and he miscued it to mid-on, where Shaheen completed an easy catch.Kishan understood early that Pakistan wanted the surface to do the damage. His answer was to stay ahead of it.Spin arrived quickly, and with it came the real examination. The off-spin of Salman Ali Agha and Saim Ayub found turn straightaway, with the ball holding up and deviating sharply off a length. Kishan responded not by retreating into defence, but by expanding his options. Sweeps, slog-sweeps, reverse hits and inside-out strokes flowed in succession, forcing Pakistan’s fielders into constant recalibration.The fifty came off just 27 balls, pumped straight back over the bowler’s head, and it told a story larger than numbers. This was Kishan batting with clarity, reading lengths early and trusting his hands even when his feet were not always planted. At one point, a possible cramp on right leg did little to slow him down. If anything, it sharpened his resolve.Against Abrar Ahmed’s googlies, Kishan showed rare adaptability. When the length was full, he went straight. When it was short, he rocked back and pierced the gaps. Even mistimed strokes fell safe, a testament to how deep Pakistan were forced to set their field. The message was clear. Defensive lines would not work.The most brutal phase came against Shadab Khan. A floated delivery on middle disappeared into the crowd via a ferocious slog-sweep. Another drifted down leg and was punished behind square. Pakistan’s plan of strangling India in the middle overs was being dismantled ball by ball.What made the innings stand out was not just the strokeplay, but the context. This was not a flat track designed for excess. The pitch demanded patience, yet Kishan refused to be trapped by it. He understood that in a high-pressure India-Pakistan contest, momentum matters as much as runs. Every boundary dented belief, every six silenced Pakistani fans in the stands.His dismissal, fittingly, came through craft rather than force. Saim Ayub slowed it down, drew Kishan across the crease and let the surface do the rest. The ball gripped, turned and clipped the top of middle and leg. Pakistan celebrated with visible relief.But, by then, the damage was done.Kishan walked back to a standing ovation, his 77 off 40 balls having completely altered the trajectory of the innings. On a pitch where run accumulation felt like wading through sand, he had sprinted. In a match where margins are thin and conditions often dictate terms, this was an innings that stood apart. It was fearless without being reckless, aggressive without being careless. More than anything, it was a reminder that in the biggest games, the bravest batters do not wait for conditions to improve. They bend them to their will.
The NBA has revamped the format for the annual All-Star Game again. The league has tried to drum up some more interest from fans and players alike to create a more intriguing event. Last year, that plan fell flat with a mini tournament that featured three All-Star teams and one Rising Stars team.
This year, the league is still holding the mini tournament but will move to a USA vs. World format. The league wants to highlight the growing international talent, so we’ll see Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and more compete against LeBron James, Kevin Durant and other top American talent. The rosters have already been set, so let’s dig into some more details about the new format.
How to watch 2026 NBA All-Star Game
Time: 5 p.m. ET | Date: Sunday, Feb. 15
Location: Intuit Dome — Los Angeles
TV channel: NBC | Live stream: Peacock
NBA All-Star Game format, explained
The 25 All-Stars have been divided into three teams (Team World has nine players). There will be two U.S. teams (USA Stars and USA Stripes) and one World team. Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff will coach USA Stars, while San Antonio Spurs coach Mitch Johnson will lead USA Stripes. Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajaković will coach Team World.
There will be a round-robin tournament of four, 12-minute games. USA Stars and Team World will face off in Game 1. The winner of that game will play USA Stripes in Game 2. The losing team of Game 1 will then play USA Stripes in Game 3. Following the three games, the two teams with the best record will face off in Game 4 with the chance to be crowned champions of All-Star Weekend.
If all three teams have a 1-1 record after the first three games, the point differential from the round-robin games will be used to determine the two teams that advance to the championship game.
The All-Star Game has a $1.8 million prize pool. Each player on the championship-winning team gets $125,000. Players on the second-place team get $50,000, while players on the third-place team get $25,000.
Here are the rosters for the three All-Star rosters:
![Heathrow has said passenger numbers were 60% lower in November than before the coronavirus pandemic and there were “high cancellations” among business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas for Christmas as Omicron spreads. The UK’s largest airport said the government’s travel restrictions had dealt a fresh blow to travel confidence and predicted it was likely to take several years for passenger numbers to return to pre-pandemic levels. This week ministers said passengers arriving in the UK would have to take a pre-departure Covid test, as well as a post-flight test, because of fears about the spread of the new variant. “[The] high level of cancellations by business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas because of pre-departure testing shows the potential harm to the economy of travel restrictions,” the airport said in an update. Heathrow said the drop in traveller confidence owing to the new travel restrictions had negated the benefit of reopening the all-important corridor to North America for business and holiday travel last month. Eleven African countries have been added to the government’s red list, requiring travellers to quarantine before reuniting with families. “By allowing Brits to isolate at home, ministers can make sure they are reunited with their loved ones this Christmas,” said John Holland-Kaye, the chief executive of Heathrow. “It would send a strong signal that restrictions on travel will be removed as soon as safely possible to give passengers the confidence to book for 2022, opening up thousands of new jobs for local people at Heathrow. Let’s reunite families for Christmas.” Heathrow said that if the government could safely signal that restrictions would be lifted soon, then employers at Heathrow would have the confidence to hire thousands of staff in anticipation of a boost in business next summer. The airport is expecting a slow start to 2022, finishing next year with about 45 million passengers – just over half of pre-pandemic levels. This week Tui, Europe’s largest package holiday operator, said it expected bookings for next summer to bounce back to 2019 levels. However, Heathrow said on Friday not to expect the aviation industry to recover for several years. “We do not expect that international travel will recover to 2019 levels until at least all travel restrictions (including testing) are removed from all the markets that we serve, at both ends of the route, and there is no risk of new restrictions, such as quarantine, being imposed,” the airport said.](https://wordupnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/shutterstock_1100012546-scaled-400x240.jpg)
![Heathrow has said passenger numbers were 60% lower in November than before the coronavirus pandemic and there were “high cancellations” among business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas for Christmas as Omicron spreads. The UK’s largest airport said the government’s travel restrictions had dealt a fresh blow to travel confidence and predicted it was likely to take several years for passenger numbers to return to pre-pandemic levels. This week ministers said passengers arriving in the UK would have to take a pre-departure Covid test, as well as a post-flight test, because of fears about the spread of the new variant. “[The] high level of cancellations by business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas because of pre-departure testing shows the potential harm to the economy of travel restrictions,” the airport said in an update. Heathrow said the drop in traveller confidence owing to the new travel restrictions had negated the benefit of reopening the all-important corridor to North America for business and holiday travel last month. Eleven African countries have been added to the government’s red list, requiring travellers to quarantine before reuniting with families. “By allowing Brits to isolate at home, ministers can make sure they are reunited with their loved ones this Christmas,” said John Holland-Kaye, the chief executive of Heathrow. “It would send a strong signal that restrictions on travel will be removed as soon as safely possible to give passengers the confidence to book for 2022, opening up thousands of new jobs for local people at Heathrow. Let’s reunite families for Christmas.” Heathrow said that if the government could safely signal that restrictions would be lifted soon, then employers at Heathrow would have the confidence to hire thousands of staff in anticipation of a boost in business next summer. The airport is expecting a slow start to 2022, finishing next year with about 45 million passengers – just over half of pre-pandemic levels. This week Tui, Europe’s largest package holiday operator, said it expected bookings for next summer to bounce back to 2019 levels. However, Heathrow said on Friday not to expect the aviation industry to recover for several years. “We do not expect that international travel will recover to 2019 levels until at least all travel restrictions (including testing) are removed from all the markets that we serve, at both ends of the route, and there is no risk of new restrictions, such as quarantine, being imposed,” the airport said.](https://wordupnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/shutterstock_1100012546-scaled-80x80.jpg)
