Rolls-Royce crashes to £5.4bn first-half loss on Covid-19 hit August 27, 2020 Engine-maker Rolls-Royce said today it had swung to a loss of £5.4bn for the first-half following the economic shock of the Covid-19 pandemic. The aero giant said revenue crashed 26 per cent to £5.8bn and reported a post-tax loss of £5.4bn and an underlying post-tax loss of £3.3bn in the six months to 30 June. [...]
The travel industry will not survive without a radical U-turn August 27, 2020 The UK has a rich history as a global transport hub. While we all value our holidays as individuals, the value of travel to the UK economy cannot be overlooked. In 2019, the 40.9m overseas visitors who came to the UK spent £28.4bn. While many of us don’t consider the UK economy to be as [...]
Car production slump continues despite signs of improvement August 27, 2020 The slump in UK car manufacturing continued in July, with just 85,000 vehicles rolling off production lines last month, over 20 per cent lower than a year ago. However, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the figure showed a “marked improvement” on previous months as factories continued to reopen after lockdown. With [...]
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos to build new 4×4 in France August 26, 2020 UK car manufacturing suffered another blow today after it emerged that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos had made an official offer to buy a factory in France to build its new 4×4. The billionaire was understood to have been in talks with the Welsh government to build a new factory in Bridgend for the car, a [...]
Donald Trump ready to take executive action to save airline jobs, says White House August 26, 2020 The White House today said that US President Donald Trump was preparing to act unilaterally to prevent a massive wave of job cuts at US airlines that have been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic. According to chief of staff Mark Meadows, Trump is considering using an executive order to avoid the layoffs if Congress does [...]
UK quarantine list: Which European countries have the worst infection rates? August 26, 2020 Switzerland looks set to be added to the list of countries on the UK’s quarantine list after a surge in the number of coronavirus cases in the country. Scotland has already reimposed self-isolation measures on travellers from the country, with ministers in England due to review its list today. If it is added to the [...]
Gatwick Airport to cut nearly a quarter of its workforce August 26, 2020 Gatwick Airport this afternoon announced that it could cut up to 600 jobs as part of a major restructuring caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The airport is the latest company in the struggling aviation sector to announce such cuts, which account for 24 per cent of its workforce. The sector is one of the worst [...]
European electric vehicle sales surpass China for first time since 2015 August 26, 2020 Sales of European passenger electric vehicles in the first half of 2020 exceeded those in China for the first time in five years. According to a report from Bloomberg, around 380,000 electric vehicles were sold over the 16 main European markets in the first six months of the year. Meanwhile, in China, which is widely [...]
Tourism slump to cost UK £22bn with London worst-hit, says WTTC August 26, 2020 The UK economy could lose a “staggering” £22bn this year as the tourism industry is hit by a massive drop in international travel as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a global tourism body has warned. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) also said that London’s position as a hub for business and leisure [...]
Virgin Atlantic creditors back crunch £1.2bn bailout deal August 25, 2020 An overwhelming majority of Virgin Atlantic’s creditors have this afternoon approved the embattled airline’s £1.2bn bailout package, a critical step in ensuring the carrier’s survival. In a statement, the carrier said that all four of its creditor classes had voted in favour of the proposal. The vote marks a huge step forward in Virgin’s bid [...]