Khan accuses PM of ‘blatant lie’ in tit-for-tat over TfL bailout October 21, 2020 Sadiq Khan has accused the government of “lying” and playing “party political games” during Transport for London (TfL) bailout talks, sparking a tit-for-tat with the Prime Minister over the future of the ailing transport network. The London mayor told TfL’s board meeting today that the government wrote a “blank cheque without conditions” when giving emergency [...]
Number of Tube journeys rises again ahead of Tier 2 restrictions October 21, 2020 The number of Tube journeys rose again last week despite the announcement of harsher restrictions on the capital, new data from Transport for London (TfL) has shown. Although London was moved into Tier 2 restrictions from midnight on Friday, there was no sign of a drop off in travel ahead of the new coronavirus limitations [...]
Government warns that it will ‘take control’ of TfL unless bailout demands met October 20, 2020 The government has warned Sadiq Khan that it will take the management of Transport for London (TfL) into its own hands if the Mayor does not accept its demands as part of a new bailout deal. In return for a second rescue package, transport secretary Grant Shapps has set out a number of demands including [...]
UK airports losing £83m a week due to coronavirus October 20, 2020 The UK’s airports are losing £83m a week as a result of the coronavirus crisis, the Airport Operators Association (AOA) revealed this evening. Air travel has been decimated by the pandemic, with the collapse of passenger revenues on course to set the sector back £4.3bn this year. However, the trade body said that the real [...]
Start of airport testing ‘shot in the arm’ for travel industry October 20, 2020 The launch of the UK’s first pre-departure testing facility at Heathrow Airport has been lauded today amid hopes that it can boost the ailing travel industry. Swissport and Collinson teamed up to launch the facility this morning, with tests costing passengers £80. The programme aims to give travellers their results in less than an hour. [...]
Trainline chief executive Clare Gilmartin steps down October 20, 2020 Rail ticketing firm Trainline (TRN) has today announced its chief executive Clare Gilmartin will stand down at the end of February. She will be replaced by current chief operating officer Jody Ford, who was previously chief executive of Photobox. “The decision to step down next year is a personal one; after seven years at the [...]
From Wigan Warrior to eco-warrior: Let’s make the future electric October 20, 2020 I remember the moment my future went electric. No, it wasn’t as I was sprinting 90m for a try in the 1994 Challenge Cup Final against Leeds. It was when I first took my wife’s second-hand BMW i3 for a drive a couple of years ago. We had bought an electric motor as our second [...]
Flybe to fly again next year after administrators agree sale to Cyrus Capital October 19, 2020 Collapsed regional airline Flybe will take to the skies again next year after its administrators agreed for it to be sold to a firm controlled by hedge fund Cyrus Capital. Administrators from EY said they had agreed to a sale of Flybe’s business and assets, including the brand, intellectual property, stock and equipment, to Thyme [...]
British Airways boss piles pressure on the government to scrap quarantine October 19, 2020 The new British Airways boss has called on the government to introduce pre-departure testing warning the UK risks being left behind in the economic recovery. Sean Doyle, who became chief executive of the airline last week, said the UK needed to get the economy going again but “this just isn’t possible when you’re asking people [...]
McLaren boss says operating costs now ‘break even’ following fundraising and redundancies, and downplays second wave fears October 19, 2020 McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt has described his “horrible” 2020 in an exclusive interview with City A.M., but says he is “cautiously optimistic” despite the second wave of coronavirus. Flewitt was forced to make 1,200 redundancies – almost a quarter of the company’s 4,000-strong workforce – and carry out a sale and lease-back of the McLaren [...]