Car production plunges as surge in cases slams breaks on sector recovery September 25, 2020 Car production plunged again in August, falling 44.6 per cent year on year as factory output stalled amid ongoing disruption caused by the coronavirus crisis. Just 51,039 models were built last month, down from 85,000 in July, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Weaker demand for British-built cars in [...]
Heathrow Airport operating at a fifth of normal levels September 23, 2020 The boss of the UK’s largest airport has said that Heathrow is operating at 15 to 20 per cent of its normal levels for this time of the year. Speaking at today’s World Aviation festival, which is being held virtually, John Holland-Kaye reassured listeners that demand would return despite the current downturn in traffic. He [...]
IATA calls for worldwide airport testing to replace quarantine September 22, 2020 Global airline body the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said that all international passengers should be given coronavirus tests before departing in order to scrap current quarantine measures. Speaking at an online briefing, IATA director Alexandre de Juniac said that there was no alternative solution that was “less challenging or more effective”. He said [...]
Airbus unveils first ever zero emissions commercial aircraft designs September 21, 2020 European aerospace giant Airbus has today unveiled concepts for the first ever commercial zero emissions aircraft, which it said could be in service by 2035. All three concepts depend on hydrogen as the primary source of fuel, which Airbus said holds “exceptional promise” for an industry trying to clean up its carbon footprint. Chief executive [...]
Lufthansa warns of more job cuts as travel recovery stalls September 21, 2020 Lufthansa shares lost nearly a tenth of their value this afternoon after the German flag carrier said that it would cut more jobs on top of the 22,000 redundancies previously announced. This afternoon the airline revealed that due to the stalling recovery in air travel it would have to reduce its fleet by 150 planes, [...]
Rail franchising ‘ended’ as government extends emergency support September 21, 2020 Ministers today announced the end of rail franchising after 24 years by extending support measures introduced in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The Department for Transport (DfT) today announced a wide scale shake-up to the UK’s rail network in a bid to create a “simpler and more effective structure” over the coming months. Train [...]
Tory mayoral candidate calls for TfL to sell Tube station naming rights September 20, 2020 London’s Tube stations could be renamed through lucrative advertising deals if Tory mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey gets elected. Bailey’s proposal, which he says could bring in £100m a year, follows in the footsteps of the Dubai Metro which has allowed companies to bid for naming rights of underground stations. The mayoral candidate told the Sunday [...]
Ryanair slams ‘government mismanagement’ as it cuts capacity again September 18, 2020 Ryanair today launched a fresh attack on the government for its “continuous changes” in travel restrictions as it announced it would cut its October capacity by a further 20 per cent. It follows a 20 per cent capacity cut announced last month, meaning the budget airline now expects its October capacity to fall from 50 [...]
Easyjet appoints Tui executive as new finance chief September 18, 2020 Budget airline Easyjet has poached an executive from rival firm Tui to become its new chief financial officer. The company has appointed Tui aviation chief executive and business improvement director Kenton Jarvis to replace outgoing finance chief Andrew Findlay. It comes as the airline sector battles the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has caused [...]
Rail nationalisations on the timetable for this weekend September 18, 2020 A number of rail networks could be heading for nationalisation by the government this week as emergency contracts set up during the coronavirus crisis come to an end. Sources told the BBC that talks between the government and nine private operators were ongoing, but that it could leave some franchises falling back into public hands [...]