British car manufacturing powers down to half capacity as planned factory shutdowns take effect April 8, 2019 British car makers including Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) have gone ahead with plans to shut their UK plants this week over Brexit, in a move which leaves at least half the country’s car production gridlocked. JLR’s Wolverhampton engine plant as well as its three assembly plants in Solihull, Halewood and Castle Bromwich were due to [...]
Tube strike action on the cards as Aslef and RMT unions reject TfL pay deal April 8, 2019 A second transport union has rejected a pay deal from Transport for London (TfL), increasing the chance of strikes on the Tube. The Aslef train drivers' union has rejected a 2.5 per cent pay rise from TfL, saying it matches the Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation rate which falls "way below" what Aslef is seeking. [...]
Sadiq Khan’s ill-conceived pollution plan only threatens London’s push to go green April 8, 2019 From today, all private hire drivers in London will have to pay the daily £11.50 congestion charge when driving in central London. This is an enormous financial burden for some of the city’s lower paid workers – costing nearly £3,000 a year for a driver earning around £25,000. It's also hugely unfair for operators, many [...]
Sadiq Khan’s £12.50-per-day Ulez charge comes into force: What do London drivers think? April 8, 2019 The new ultra low emission zone (Ulez) will come into force today, forcing the worst polluting cars to clean up or pay a daily £12.50 charge. The zone will initially cover central London and will be clearly signposted with road signs along key boundary points. Cars and vans will need to meet new exhaust emissions [...]
Japanese prosecutors seek to probe Ghosn’s wife over use of Nissan funds April 7, 2019 Tokyo prosecutors have called on judges to question the wife of embattled car executive Carlos Ghosn over her involvement in the alleged embezzlement of funds. Prosecutors suspect Ghosn channelled funds from Nissan into a company where his wife, Carole, is an executive, Reuters reported, citing local media. Read more: Ghosn to be detained for further [...]
Boeing to reduce 737 model production in wake of crashes April 6, 2019 Boeing is set to temporarily cut its production of the 737 airliner as the fall-out of crashes involving the model in Ethiopa and Indonesia continue. The plane manufacturer released a statement late on Friday announcing that it would be reducing its production of the 737 from 52 planes a month to 42 from mid-April. Read [...]
Union threatens total Tube shutdown in Transport for London pay dispute April 5, 2019 Commuters are facing the threat of a shutdown across the entire London Underground network as a pay clash between a union and Transport for London approaches boiling point. The Rail and Maritime Trade Union (RMT) said today it will ballot all of its members working on the Tube for potential strike action as talks with TfL [...]
Boeing admits sensor malfunctioned on both fatal 737 Max crashes April 5, 2019 Boeing has admitted a sensor on its 737 Max jet malfunctioned during two recent flights that crashed, killing everyone on board. The plane manufacturer issued a statement saying a sensor that pushes the plane’s nose down to prevent stalling had been activated as a result of erroneous data on the doomed Lion Air and Ethiopian [...]
Debate: Given the problems at Wow Air, should we be worried about the future of the airline industry? April 5, 2019 Given the problems at Wow Air, should we be worried about the future of the airline industry? Yes – Anthony Hynes is chief executive of eNett international. With Iceland’s Wow Air and other airlines going bust recently, it’s undeniable that the airline industry is going through some turbulent times. In fact, our recent study shows that [...]
Ethiopia urges Boeing to review controls after findings show pilots not at fault in fatal crash April 4, 2019 Ethiopia has urged Boeing to review its flight control technology after a preliminary report found that the pilot flying the doomed flight was not at fault when the plane crashed. Ethiopian investigators found that pilots on the Boeing 737 Max flight, which crashed and killed all 157 on board, followed all correct procedures but were [...]