Airbus announces 2,300 job cuts in space and defence division February 19, 2020 Airbus today said it would cut 2,300 jobs in its defence business, including 357 roles in the UK. The UK cuts amount to a near 10 per cent reduction in its 4,000-strong workforce. The aircraft maker blamed a flat space market and postponed defence contracts for the cuts. Ongoing technical problems with its transport and [...]
HS2 reveals Old Oak Common station design February 19, 2020 HS2 has unveiled its new designs for its planned passenger super-hub at Old Oak Common in west London, which will serve 250,000 passengers per day. The plans for the new hub, which were submitted for planning approval today, are part of a wider regeneration project for Old Oak and Park Royal, which will see the [...]
Ryanair doubles passenger carbon offset scheme in green push February 19, 2020 Ryanair today announced that passengers would be able to double their voluntary carbon offset contribution from €1 to €2 from April onwards. The increase, which the airline admitted was “modest”, is part of the low-budget carrier’s ongoing sustainability campaign. Three per cent of Ryanair’s passengers currently participate in the voluntary scheme, the funds from which [...]
Railway bodies call on government for rolling electrification programme February 19, 2020 The railway industry has written to transport secretary Grant Shapps calling for the government to begin a constant process of electrifying the UK’s rail networks or risk missing its 2040 decarbonisation goal. The open letter notes that although electrification is the only means to meet the target, once the Midlands mainline has been electrified, there [...]
Renault sees rating cut by Moody’s as problems mount February 19, 2020 Renault shares fell this morning after credit agency Moody’s cut its rating for the embattled carmaker’s debt to junk after last week’s poor full-year results. Moody’s said that the rating cut, which saw the French firm downgraded from Baa3 to Ba1, was triggered by Renault’s substantially weakened operating performance reported for last year. The financial [...]
Tube strike talks break down over Bakerloo walkout February 19, 2020 The Bakerloo line will grind to a halt on Friday as last minute talks between the rail union and Transport for London (TfL) to avoid a Tube strike have broken down. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) confirmed this morning that its drivers would strike over the weekend despite “intensive efforts” [...]
Boeing finds debris in fuel tanks of 737 Max aircraft February 19, 2020 Boeing has found potentially dangerous debris in the fuel tanks of its grounded 737 Max aircraft in a further blow for the model, which has been grounded since last March after two fatal crashes. An internal memo said that the company had found foreign object debris (FOD) – rags, tools, metal shavings and other materials [...]
Heathrow airport halts take-offs due to plane blocking runway February 19, 2020 Heathrow airport briefly halted some flights this morning due to an aircraft blocking one of its runways. Specialist air travel news website Airlive had reported that a plane was blocking runway 27R. The plane, a BA flight from Tel Aviv, had to be towed off the runway after a hydraulic fluid spill. Sign up to [...]
Qatar Airways buys $600m stake in British Airways owner IAG February 19, 2020 Qatar Airways has upped its holding in British Airways owner IAG to 25.1 per cent after buying an additional $604m (£465m) stake in the airline group. The Middle Eastern carrier previously owned a 21.4 per cent stake in IAG, which has seen its share price rise 52 per cent in the last six months. The [...]
DEBATE: Should we be concerned about rumours of potential Chinese involvement with HS2? February 19, 2020 Should we be concerned about rumours of potential Chinese involvement with building HS2? Sophia Gaston, director of the British Foreign Policy Group, says YES. The government’s decision to permit Huawei to be involved in building our 5G network has exposed the acute lack of an overarching strategy around Britain’s engagement with China. No doubt, this [...]