Jet2 owner Dart Group enjoys profits boost from package holiday business July 11, 2019 Dart Group, the owner of British airline and tour operator Jet2, posted a 36 per cent increase in pre-tax profits as it enjoyed a boost from its package holiday business. Pre-tax profits increased from £130.2m in 2018 to £177.5m for the year ending 31 March, which the company attributed to the “growing success” of its [...]
Ryanair’s chief operating officer to step down after 18 months in role July 11, 2019 Ryanair’s chief operations officer Peter Bellew is to step down after just 18 months in the role, in which he has overseen the airline’s fraught relationship with staff. Chief executive Michael O’Leary said in an internal memo to staff that Bellew, who quit the top job at Malaysia Airlines to return to Ryanair in December [...]
HS2 Birmingham: The £435m station nobody wants to build July 11, 2019 HS2 has abandoned its initial hunt for a contractor to build its Birmingham station, after firms were unwilling to take on the risks associated with the £435m job. The railway said it will rethink the procurement process for its Curzon Street station so as to reduce contractor risk and increase competition. Read more: Business leaders [...]
Heathrow cashes in on first month of holiday season as passenger numbers rise July 11, 2019 Heathrow Airport this morning said it has benefited from fuller planes at the start of the holiday season, pushing passenger numbers up in June. Britain’s biggest airport said it welcomed 7.25m passengers last month, up 1.7 per cent compared to June 2018. It marks the 32nd straight month of growth. Read more: Prepare for take [...]
Norwegian Air boss quits as airline reels from 737 Max groundings July 11, 2019 Norwegian Air’s longstanding chief executive Bjorn Kjos has quit the top job, amid warnings the struggling carrier’s full-year results will take a hit from the Boeing 737 Max grounding. Chairman Niels Smedegaard this morning hailed Kjos, 72, as “one of the most influential European entrepreneurs of our time”. He will continue at the firm, which [...]
Oil and gas companies have no reason to fear divestment July 11, 2019 Petrol heads pay good money at the pumps
Gatwick suspension: Flights resumed but airport warns of delays July 10, 2019 Flights at Gatwick Airport will be heavily disrupted for the remainder of the evening after issues with the air traffic control system led to a two-hour shutdown. Read more: Gatwick Airport train station to get £150m revamp All flights in and out of the south London airport were grounded at 5.08pm after unspecified problems in [...]
Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit to test rocket for satellite launch system July 10, 2019 Richard Branson’s satellite launch firm Virgin Orbit is reportedly set to release a rocket from a modified Boeing 747 aircraft in mid-air today in a key test of its satellite launch system. The so-called drop test, which will take place over California’s Mojave Desert, is the penultimate test before the company offers commercial satellite launch [...]
Ofgem warns Solarplicity over late payments, may revoke licence July 10, 2019 Ofgem has again said it may revoke energy supplier Solarplicity’s licence after the company was warned over missed payments to renewable energy generators. It is the second time Ofgem has warned Solarplicity for not paying the so-called feed-in-tariff to (FIT) generators. Read more: Regulator Ofgem won’t extend ban on energy supplier Solarplicity In early May [...]
Watchdog warns of ‘real risk’ of repeat to no-deal Brexit ferry fiasco July 10, 2019 The government could waste even more taxpayer money due to its lack of preparation for a no-deal Brexit, a top watchdog has warned, after the Department for Transport (DfT) blew £85m on botched ferry contracts. The DfT’s lack of preparation risks cornering the government into further high-risk procurement contracts, parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said [...]