Heathrow airport breaks Christmas passenger record January 13, 2020 Heathrow airport welcomed a record 80.9m passengers in 2019 to notch a ninth consecutive year of traffic growth, it revealed today. Larger and fuller aircraft pushed the passenger growth as Heathrow airport witnessed its busiest December ever, when 6.7m passengers travelled through the airport over Christmas and New Year, up 3.1 per cent compared to [...]
Three-quarters of London businesses think HS2 is too expensive January 12, 2020 Almost three-quarters, 74 per cent, of London businesses think the controversial HS2 rail line has become too expensive, according to new polling. The Savanta ComRes/London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) poll also found that 64 per cent of the capital’s business leaders thought “the project has or will cause too much disruption”. Read more: [...]
Trainline hits back at Virgin with its own ‘split ticketing’ initiative January 11, 2020 Ticketing app Trainline has launched its own version of “split ticketing” just days after Virgin Rail launched its own app with the legal loophole in a bid to end Trainline’s stranglehold on the market. Split ticketing purchases two or more tickets for a journey at a lower price than a standard fare. The split ticketing [...]
Boeing could be fined $5.4m by US regulator for 737 MAX defective parts January 11, 2020 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said it is seeking to fine Boeing $5.4m (£4.14m) on allegations it failed to prevent the installation of defective parts on its 737 MAX airplanes. The 737 MAX has been grounded since March 2019 after two crashes killed 346 people, although the parts issue is completely unrelated, Boeing said. [...]
Lotus owner Geely considers taking stake in Aston Martin January 10, 2020 Lotus and Volvo owner Geely is considering pumping some much-needed cash into Aston Martin. The Chinese firm is assessing whether to take a stake of the UK luxury carmaker, which is in need of fresh finances, according to the Financial Times. One source told the FT it may involved a technology partnership rather than full [...]
Carlos Ghosn warns the future of Nissan is ‘in doubt’ January 10, 2020 The former boss of Nissan, Carlos Ghosn, has said the future of the Japanese company is in doubt. Ousted chief Ghosn said the car firm’s struggling results and drop in share price were a concern, days after accusing Nissan executives and the Japanese government of plotting against him. He also said that if Brexit affected [...]
Crossrail boss: Elizabeth Line could open in central London by summer 2021 January 10, 2020 Crossrail’s London stretch could open in “summer 2021” if a more optimistic prediction from the company proves to be accurate. Crossrail Ltd is working to launch the Elizabeth Line “as soon as practically possible” in 2021, it said today as it confirmed it plans to open the central section between Paddington and Abbey Wood in [...]
More than 5m passengers traveled through London City Airport in 2019 January 10, 2020 In 2019, London City Airport saw more than 5m passengers travel through for the first time in its history. A record total of 5,100,025 passengers meant growth for the year was up 6.3 per cent on 2018. Read more: London City Airport given carbon neutral accreditation The most popular route remains between London and Amsterdam, [...]
Ryanair’s €1bn profit upgrade lifts rival airlines’ shares January 10, 2020 Ryanair profit upgrade today on better-than-expected Christmas traffic has lifted competitors’ shares on the FTSE as well as its own. Ryanair’s stock rose 6.6 per cent to €16.23 as it raised full-year profit guidance to beyond €1bn (£850m) after saying Christmas and New Year bookings were “stronger than expected”. Read more: Ryanair’s ‘abusive’ hand luggage [...]
Ministry of Defence nuclear infrastructure projects set for delays of up to six years January 10, 2020 Three infrastructure projects which are together critical to the UK’s nuclear deterrent are set for delays of up to six years due to the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) “poor management.” According to a new report from the National Audit Office (NAO), the projects will be delivered between 1.7 and 6.3 years late, at an additional [...]