Easyjet grows revenue in ‘robust’ quarter as new COO joins July 18, 2019 Easyjet boosted revenue 11 per cent to £1.8bn in its third quarter, the airline revealed today, saying it is on schedule to hit market expectations on profit. Read more: Easyjet losses soar to £275m after fuel price hike and Gatwick drone chaos The airline also posted higher passenger revenue, growing that 10.7 per cent year [...]
DEBATE: Would the railways run better with a ‘fat controller’? July 18, 2019 Would the railways run better with an independent “fat controller” in charge, as recently proposed? Scott Corfe, research director at the Social Market Foundation, says YES. Commuters are right to be angry with the state of Britain’s railway network, with its unpalatable combination of high fares, delays, and trains so packed that one feels like [...]
Our next Prime Minister should understand how crucial infrastructure projects are to the economy July 18, 2019 Tory members are electing their new leader and the next Prime Minister. Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt’s premiership will be dominated by a few issues – solving the Brexit deadlock in parliament, funding public services, and healing the country’s divides. But while it hasn’t featured as prominently as the European issue, infrastructure is of key [...]
Uber rival Kapten partners with Citymapper on London travel July 17, 2019 Citymapper has teamed up with rival Kapten to offer a £10 credit to some of its users. Users of Citymappers’ pass, which was launched in March, will receive a free £10 weekly credit for rides via Kapten, the only private hire firm to have teamed up with the transport app. Read more: French ride-hailing app [...]
Chris Grayling admits Cabinet overruled him on Eurotunnel ferry settlement July 17, 2019 Transport secretary Chris Grayling has said he personally wanted to fight Eurotunnel’s legal challenge against the government’s no-deal Brexit ferry strategy in court but that Cabinet collectively decided to settle it. In what was most likely his last appearance before the Transport Select Committee, Grayling was asked why the Department for Transport (DfT), which he [...]
HS2 locks horns with Bechtel in bid to break contract stalemate July 16, 2019 HS2 has asked the High Court to allow it to push on with the construction of one its London stations despite an ongoing legal challenge from engineering giant Bechtel. HS2 Limited, which is overseeing the proposed £56bn railway linking London to the north, has applied to lift the “automatic suspension” that is preventing it from [...]
UK rail franchising system has ‘had its day’, says review head July 16, 2019 The UK’s rail franchising system has “had its day”, the man in charge with reviewing Britain’s railways has said. Former British Airways chief executive Keith Williams, who is leading a government-commissioned review into how to improve the industry, said the franchising model needed to be replaced by a “new commercial model” that worked in the [...]
Ryanair warns of service cuts, blaming Boeing 737 Max ban July 16, 2019 Ryanair today warned investors it has been forced to reschedule summer 2020 due to a delay in the delivery of new Boeing 737 Max planes. The budget flyer had ordered 58 Max 200 models from Boeing in time for its summer 2020 schedule, but now expects just 30 to be ready in time. Read more: [...]
Competition watchdog to probe $3.4bn Inmarsat takeover July 16, 2019 The competition watchdog has opened an investigation into the proposed $3.4bn (£2.6bn) takeover of satellite communications giant Inmarsat by a consortium of private equity firms. Read more: Inmarsat shareholders approve $3.4bn private equity takeover Inmarsat earlier this year unveiled a buyout deal led by Apax Partners and Warburg Pincus, who tabled a cash offer of [...]
Boss of First Group’s US cash cow quits July 15, 2019 The boss of First Group’s largest business has resigned as the company continues to suffer from the fallout of an activist rebellion, City A.M. can reveal. Dennis Maple, the president of First Student, the largest provider of student transportation in North America, is understood to have taken up a role at another company after serving [...]