Ryanair flies just 500,000 people in February as travel restrictions continue March 2, 2021 Irish carrier Ryanair flew just 500,000 people in February as widespread coronavirus restrictions all but ended air travel. In the same month last year the airline carried 10.5m passengers, but over the last 12 months the pandemic has totally reshaped the aviation industry. Since last March, when the pandemic hit Europe, the airline has flown [...]
FCA ends probe into car dealership Lookers March 2, 2021 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has this morning closed its investigation into car dealer Lookers for the possible miss-selling of products. The regulator said that it would not impose penalties on the FTSE 250 firm, but said it had made its concerns clear about the “historic culture, systems and controls”. As a result, Lookers said [...]
Takeover target Signature Aviation swings to $24m loss March 2, 2021 Takeover target Signature Aviation today hailed its “resilient performance” in 2020 as the private jet firm swung to a $24m (£17.3m) loss before tax. After the worst year in history for aviation, the company said that its flight activity was down just 17 per cent in February, compared to 77 per cent last April. It [...]
Ministers ‘absolutely committed’ to securing future of Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant March 1, 2021 Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has said that the government is “absolutely committed” to securing the future of car manufacturing at the Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire. Over the last week, ministers have been in talks with the plant’s owners Stellantis over whether the company will develop its new Astra model at the plant. Stellantis – [...]
Unemployment claims in London airport communities rise at double the national rate March 1, 2021 The number of people claiming unemployment benefits rose at double the national rate in communities around London’s biggest airports in 2020. The coronavirus pandemic has decimated the travel industry, leading to airlines and airports slashing thousands of jobs to stay afloat. In Hayes and Harlington, Heathrow’s local constituency, the number of people claiming benefits rose [...]
Shares in new Norwegian carrier Flyr soar in debut trade March 1, 2021 Shares in new Norwegian airline Flyr rose nearly 30 per cent today in a promising market debut for the recently-launched firm. The newcomer, which plans to complete its maiden flight by mid-2021, is launching into a market that has been seriously disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. It will focus on domestic flights in its home [...]
European Commission to propose vaccine passport legislation this month March 1, 2021 The European Commission will propose legislation for an EU-wide digital vaccine passport in March, President Ursula von der Leyen said this morning. Speaking to lawmakers this morning, she said: “As for the question of what the digital green passport could look like: we will submit a legislative proposal in March”. Her words come after it [...]
Rail commuters to get flexible season tickets in back to office bid March 1, 2021 Commuters are set to be offered flexible season rail tickets as a part of the government’s bid to try and get people back to offices by summer. The new flexi-tickets will reportedly be introduced by 21 June when England Covid restrictions are due to end and could save commuters hundreds of pounds a year. The [...]
Heathrow’s new pandemic tax pushes up flight prices February 28, 2021 Heathrow Airport has added a new charge on all outbound flights in a move that will make flights more expensive. The airport will be charging £8.90 extra to all outbound flights from April in what the airport is calling a United Kingdom Exceptional Regulatory Charge. It comes after Heathrow posted a £2bn annual loss earlier [...]
Rise in SUVs and car usage hinders net zero targets, spending watchdog says February 26, 2021 An aversion to public transport, made worse due to the pandemic means the UK will have even further to go to reach its net zero emission targets, data from the National Audit Office (NAO) today has shown. The NAO report revealed transport is the UK’s largest contributor to carbon emissions, with cars being the primary [...]