Coronavirus: Union bosses likely to put Tube strike on hold March 16, 2020 Union bosses have indicated they will delay a planned Tube strike during the coronavirus outbreak, after meeting with Transport for London (TfL) today. Members of the train drivers’ union Aslef last week voted to go on strike over a pay dispute. However, it appears the union, which has 2500 Tube drivers, is prepared to suspend [...]
Coronavirus: TfL set to lose £500m from decline in passengers March 16, 2020 Transport for London (TfL) is expecting to lose up to £500m from the impact of coronavirus and will ask the government for financial support. In the past week, passenger numbers on the Tube were down by 19 per cent year-on-year, while bus passenger numbers fell by 10 per cent. The transport body said the figures [...]
Airline stocks in freefall as travel restrictions take hold March 16, 2020 Virgin Atlantic, Easyjet and British Airways owner are scaling back flights after a number of countries imposed travel restrictions amid the coronavirus outbreak. British Airways owner, International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) and Easyjet will ground aircraft on an unprecedented scale in an attempt to mitigate the effect of the travel restrictions. Virgin Atlantic said it [...]
Government launches consulation on new transport solutions March 16, 2020 The government has today launched a consultation on the UK’s transport laws in an attempt to make the country’s journeys “greener, easier and smarter” through new technology. The review will be accompanied by £90m in funding for three new “Future Transport Zones” where new modes of transport will be trialled. The three zones will be [...]
Unite joins calls for government rescue package for airlines March 15, 2020 Unite, the UK’s largest union, has called on the government to listen to the country’s airlines, which have warned that they are facing unprecedented challenges due to the coronavirus outbreak. The workers’ association, which represents tens of thousands of people in the aviation sector, said that the industry needs government assistance now to help it [...]
HS2: Transport department defends top civil servant over transparency row March 15, 2020 The Department for Transport (DfT) has denied its top civil servant broke the civil service code of conduct as she faces accusations she withheld information on HS2’s budget blowouts. City A.M. reported earlier this month that DfT permanent secretary Bernadette Kelly admitted she did not tell parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) she knew HS2 was [...]
Coronavirus: Scandinavian Airlines puts flights ‘on hold’ due to ‘non-existent’ demand March 15, 2020 Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) today announced that it has put most of its operations “on hold” due to the “non-existent” demand for air travel as a result of coronavirus. The measures are the most extreme yet taken by an airline and comes amid the grounding of thousands of planes worldwide as countries step up their measures [...]
Railway industry in talks with government over emergency coronavirus measures March 15, 2020 The government is in talks with the rail industry over a range of steps to protect franchises against falling passenger numbers due to the coronavirus outbreak. According to the BBC, at a meeting of industry figures last week it was revealed that numbers had fallen by up to 18 per cent on certain lines, although [...]
Heathrow Airport expansion in a ‘deep freeze’ after court decision and coronavirus March 15, 2020 Heathrow Airport’s planned expansion is now in a “deep freeze”, with the aviation industry expecting the project to fall off the agenda during the coronavirus pandemic. Airlines have been told an impending coronavirus recession will likely delay the third runway a further two years to 2030 at the earliest and could require job cuts, according [...]
Virgin Atlantic calls on government for £7.5bn airline bailout package March 15, 2020 Virgin Atlantic’s chiefs are preparing to send a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for the government to provide a £7.5bn package to support airlines, which have been decimated by the coronavirus outbreak. Sky News reported that Virgin Group chairman Peter Norris will write to Johnson on Monday warning him of the potentially devastating [...]