Arriva joins Stagecoach in taking government to court over East Midlands franchise award May 12, 2019 The government is facing a double-whammy of legal action over its decision to award the East Midlands franchise to Abellio after Arriva Rail joined Stagecoach in taking it to court. Arriva Rail, which is owned by German rail giant Deutsche Bahn, said it was "seeking to obtain more information relating to how the bids for [...]
Tube chaos to hit commuters next week in three-day strike by 1,200 London Underground staff May 12, 2019 Severe delays are expected to hit London’s Tube next week as around 1,200 engineering staff walk out on strike. Read more: DEBATE: Should industrial action on the Tube be banned? Union RMT said its members were going on strike after what it called “serious and damaging cuts” to preparation and inspection schedules. The three-day strike is [...]
Ofgem threatens to revoke energy supplier Solarplicity’s licence over missing payments to small-scale generators May 10, 2019 Ofgem has said it could revoke energy supplier Solarplicity’s license for the second time in a month, raising further questions about the future of the company. The regulator today issued a provisional order against Solarplicity, requiring it to pay money to small-scale producers of renewable energy. Read more: Energy supplier Solarplicity faces extended new customer [...]
Thomas Cook shares gain altitude as Virgin Atlantic joins bidding war May 10, 2019 Travel agent Thomas Cook soared on the markets this morning amid reports that Virgin is joining the race to take over the business. Richard Branson’s Virgin entered the battle to acquire the struggling tour operator’s UK long-haul operations by lodging a preliminary offer, Sky News reported after the bell yesterday. Read more: Thomas Cook shares [...]
Heathrow Airport sees April passenger numbers soar to 6.8m as May 10, 2019 Heathrow Airport had its busiest ever April last month with a 3.3 per cent increase on the year before as passenger numbers soared to 6.79m. It was the 30th consecutive month of growth for the airport as it averaged 226,600 passengers per day. Read more: Fuel and currency costs hit profit at British Airways owner IAG A [...]
Fuel and currency costs hit profit at British Airways owner IAG May 10, 2019 Profits shrank at British Airways’ owner in the first three months of the year as fuel costs and other headwinds hit the airline, it revealed today. But shares rose as International Airlines Group (IAG) said full-year profits would replicate 2018’s success, when income rose almost 10 per cent to €3.2bn (£2.76bn). Read more: British Airways [...]
Uber’s float is a huge gamble on the future of transport May 10, 2019 Every time you jump into an Uber, your ride is essentially subsidised by venture capitalists who prop up the loss-making outfit in the hope of riches down the road. Later today in New York, many more hopefuls will get the chance to back the immensely-popular-yet-controversial tech firm when it finally comes to market. Similarly [...]
Ofgem proposals could set British solar back by up to five years, study warns May 9, 2019 New rules proposed by Ofgem could hold back the deployment of British solar power by up to five years, a top energy consultancy has warned. Aurora Energy said today that the plans could hit the roll-out of so-called distribution-connected renewables, which include all of Britain’s solar and half of onshore wind power, by five and [...]
Government signs controversial East Midlands franchise contract with Abellio May 9, 2019 The government has gone ahead and signed a controversial contract for the East Midlands franchise with Abellio as the war with Stagecoach over the decision intensifies. The signing has gone ahead after the standstill period – the days following the award decision and its official signing expired at midnight last night. Yesterday Stagecoach's sour relations with [...]
Emirates profit sinks to a 10-year low as jet fuel bill takes off May 9, 2019 Gulf carrier Emirates has reported its lowest profit in 10 years, blaming a stronger US dollar and sky-high fuel costs. The full-service airline said its net profit fell 69 per cent fell to 871m dirhams (£182m) in the year to 31 March. Read more: Thomas Cook shares leap following Lufthansa bid for airline business The number [...]