Government ‘considers taking stake’ in struggling airline Flybe February 11, 2020 The government is said to be mulling taking a stake in struggling airline Flybe, despite concerns about state aid rules and a fierce backlash from the budget firm’s rivals. Ministers are in talks with Flybe and the European Commission to ensure any rescue deal did not contravene rules about government intervention, the BBC reported. While [...]
Shares of HS2 contractors Balfour Beatty, Kier, Costain surge on green light February 11, 2020 Shares in British construction giants rose today after Prime Minister Boris Johnson opted to press ahead with the controversial HS2 rail project. The PM had been under pressure from some in his party to scrap the project after its estimated cost rose to £106bn. But today he gave the infrastructure scheme the green light, telling [...]
HS2: Businesses react to Boris Johnson’s green light for controversial rail project February 11, 2020 Business groups have welcomed the government’s decision to proceed with the controversial HS2 rail line. The Prime Minister’s expected announcement comes after months of debate over whether the scheme should go ahead. This follows a report that the project could cost over £100bn, three times what was originally forecast. BCC: ‘Great news for business’ Director [...]
Tui offsets Boeing 737 Max hit with higher holiday demand February 11, 2020 Tour operator Tui today said stronger holiday demand would partly offset an extra hit of as much as €245m from the longer grounding of the Boeing 737 Max. The plane’s longer than expected journey to return to the skies after two fatal crashes will drag on Tui’s profit for its 2020 financial year. But strong [...]
Heathrow growing at half the rate of Charles de Gaulle airport February 11, 2020 Heathrow airport is growing at half the rate of its French rival Charles de Gaulle, which at this rate will replace it as Europe’s leading hub airport within two years. Despite a record start to 2020, with over 6m passengers passing through the airport in January, Heathrow warned that unless it upped its growth rate [...]
Boris Johnson to announce £5bn bus service improvement plan February 10, 2020 Boris Johnson is tomorrow expected to announce £5bn of funding to improve local bus services across the country. The Prime Minister will outline a plan to transform the bus network and cycle links with simpler fares, new vehicles, improved routes and higher frequencies. The five-year funding package will increase the number of services – particularly [...]
Coronavirus: British Airways extends Beijing and Shanghai flight suspension February 10, 2020 British Airways has extended its suspension of flights to Beijing and Shanghai until April due to the outbreak of coronavirus. The airline said today that all flights to the two Chinese cities have been cancelled until 31 March, while flights from Beijing and Shanghai are cancelled until 1 April. Flights to the cities had originally [...]
Coronavirus hits production at Nissan’s Japanese plants February 10, 2020 Nissan has announced that it will temporarily halt production at one of its factories in Japan due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. The decision will affect the Kyushu facility in southwest Japan and has been taken due to difficulties sourcing parts from China. This comes as the global automotive industry is facing a slowdown [...]
TfL takes control of Woolwich Ferry after ‘unacceptable’ delays February 10, 2020 The Woolwich Ferry will be brought back under Transport for London (TfL) control after being plagued by severe delays under the current contractor. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced today that the service would be brought back into City Hall ownership at the end of the year, after deciding not to renew the contract of [...]
Easyjet warns passengers of ‘very low’ coronavirus risk February 10, 2020 British airline Easyjet has warned passengers there is a “very low” risk of coronavirus infection after discovering one customer has since been diagnosed with the illness. Public Health England is now notifying all passengers on the Easyjet EZS8481 flight from Geneva to London on 28 January that they are at risk of infection. It comes [...]