UK Airports – What they can offer Muslim Travellers

UK airports are some of the busiest airports in the world and serve millions of passengers throughout the year - including large numbers of Muslim travellers. Several airports do offer specific facilities for Muslim passengers such as Halal food and prayer facilities. Read on to find out which of UK's airports are best-suited for Muslim travellers. The largest airport of the United Kingdom is the London Heathrow Airport in West London, England. The airport features five terminals with a multi-faith prayer room available in each terminal. These prayer rooms cater to both male and female worshippers and adequate facilities for washing feet might not be available. However, a few prayer rooms do offer Wudu Stones that make Tayammum (dry abolution) possible. Halal food options at London Heathrow Airport will not be as plentiful as some of other major International airports around the world. However, several Halal restaurant will be available a few minutes away from the airport. London Gatwick Airport is another prominent UK airport. Serving over 24 million passengers annually, it offers chapel & prayer rooms for passengers of all faith at both the North and South Terminal of the airport. Both prayer rooms are open 24 hours daily and are located on the third floor of the South Terminal and the ground floor of the North Terminal. For Halal food, Muslim travellers may visit Comptoir Libanais – a Lebanese restaurant located at the North Terminal of the airport. In addition to a wide range of Halal cuisine, the restaurant also offers an array of vegetarian dishes as well as special children's menus. Often named the Best Major UK Airport, Manchester Airport has won several awards in the past for the extensive range of services and facilities it provides its passengers. Prayer facilities for Muslim passengers at Manchester Airport comprise two multi-faith prayer rooms located at Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. Jumuah prayers are conducted in the Terminal 3 prayer room and both prayer rooms are available 24 hours a day and offer Wudu facilities. Muslim passengers will also be able to find Halal food at SPAR (Terminal 2), Broderick's (T2 transit) and AM Express (T2 Arrivals). Other major airports in the UK include London Luton Airport, Birmingham Airport, Edinburgh Airport, Glasgow Airport and Newcastle Airport. Prayer facilities for Muslim travellers will be available at each of these airports but Halal food options might not be many in number. However, vegetarian cuisine will be widely available in the case of unavailability of Halal food. Airports in the United Kingdom serve large numbers of Muslim travellers throughout the year so airport staff are no stranger to Muslim-specific requests or requirements. In any case, sufficient facilities are bound to be available at almost every airport to ensure a comfortable stay.