Coronavirus: Airbus to cut jet production by a third April 9, 2020 Airbus has announced its largest ever production adjustment in response to the coronavirus pandemic, cutting output of its best-selling A320 narrow-body family by a third to 40 aircraft a month. The global shutdown in flights due to the coronavirus has forced many airlines to postpone or cancel orders of new planes. The French-German aerospace giant [...]
Airlines set to save millions as air traffic control payments deferred April 8, 2020 The UK’s airlines could save tens of millions of pounds a month after European governments took steps to allow them to defer payments for using UK and European airspace for 14 months. The new measures, which were agreed by air traffic body Eurocontrol’s member states, will cover the period between February and May 2020. In [...]
Coronavirus: Tour operator Tui cancels holidays until mid-May April 8, 2020 The UK’s biggest package holiday firm Tui has extended the cancellation of its holidays for UK customers until mid-May among uncertainty as to when coronavirus travel restrictions will cease to apply. In a statement, the firm said that beach holidays for UK and Irish customers travelling up to and including 14 May would no longer [...]
Lufthansa to close budget carrier Germanwings as coronavirus forces overhaul April 8, 2020 Lufthansa will close its low-cost subsidiary Germanwings as the flag carrier seeks to overhaul its business in response to the coronavirus crisis. The move came as the airline warned that it could take years for the airline industry to get back to pre-coronavirus levels of service. In a statement, Lufthansa said: “It will take months [...]
Easyjet accused of spending £600m of taxpayer money on Airbus deal April 8, 2020 Easyjet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has once again lashed out at the firm, saying the carrier’s receipt of £600m in loans from the government “could be the biggest scandal in British corporate history”. The Greek-Cypriot businessman has pressured Easyjet’s board to scrap a £4.5bn order for 107 new planes from Airbus. Haji-Ioannou believes cancelling the [...]
Tour operator On the Beach cancels dividend and withdraws guidance April 8, 2020 Travel operator On the Beach has cancelled its dividend and withdrawn guidance for 2020 as part of a raft of measures to protect the firm against the coronavirus outbreak. In addition, chief executive Simon Cooper will forego his salary, whilst the rest of the tour firm’s board will take a 20 per cent pay cut. [...]
Coronavirus: Global airlines warn that up to 25m jobs at risk April 7, 2020 Aviation industry body the International Air Transport Association has said that up to 25m jobs could be at risk due to the global slump in travel as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. According to IATA chief executive Alexandre de Juniac, worldwide demand has slumped 70 per cent due to the crisis, with the figure [...]
Coronavirus: Rail journeys fall 95 per cent as passengers heed travel restrictions April 7, 2020 New figures revealed today by the Department of Transport show that only a very small proportion of people in the UK are still travelling, suggesting the government’s lockdown measures are in the most part being observed. Speaking at a virtual meeting of the transport select committee, rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris said that rail journeys were [...]
Volkswagen fitted cars with emissions test ‘defeat devices’, High Court rules April 7, 2020 The High Court has ruled today in favour of thousands of consumers that Volkswagen used a “defeat device” on some of its diesel cars which was able to cheat emissions tests. The vehicles affected were sold under Volkswagen, Audi, Seat and Skoda brands and were fitted with an EA 189 diesel engine. The ruling by [...]
Easyjet founder threatens to sue bosses over Airbus contract April 7, 2020 Easyjet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has threatened to sue the company’s board as the spat over a £4.5bn order of planes from Airbus rumbles on. The Greek-Cypriot businessman told the Telegraph that if any of the £300m the airline has spent in the last three weeks has gone to Airbus, “I will sue the directors [...]