US airline Mesa leads last-minute Flybe rescue offer in blow to Virgin February 19, 2019 Arizona-based airline Mesa has tabled a £65m rescue deal for struggling airline Flybe in a dramatic move that could derail a takeover bid led by Virgin Atlantic. City A.M. understands Mesa is leading a consortium of investors that offered an injection of new equity at a Flybe board meeting today in a bid to save [...]
Honda: What’s really hurting car manufacturers? February 19, 2019 Business secretary Greg Clark yesterday took a stand for Britain’s car manufacturers, saying Honda’s move to close its Swindon factory shows the urgent need to strike a Brexit deal. “Decisions like Honda’s this morning demonstrate starkly how much is at stake,” he said. “A situation in which our manufacturers do not have the certainty they [...]
‘Let us charge more for energy’, companies urge as they are forced to bail out a string of small suppliers February 19, 2019 The government must let energy suppliers charge more as they are left picking up the pieces from a string of failed rivals, two major players have said. Big Six energy firm Eon and Britain's largest challenger Ovo today called on the the competition regulator to change the way the price cap for prepayment metres works. They [...]
Nearly half of commuters think air taxis would solve transport problems in cities February 19, 2019 The public is turning more to the idea of air taxis to help alleviate congestion and air pollution on Britain's roads, new research reveals. Research carried out by aviation events organisation Revolution.Aero found that 43 per cent of those surveyed would support the introduction of air taxis to reduce transport problems in UK cities. Read more: [...]
Passenger revenue growth at First Group slows as SWR strike action takes its toll February 19, 2019 Rail passenger revenue growth at transport operator the First Group slowed to just over four per cent to September last year, even as the firm reported a near 14 per cent uplift in revenue. First, which operates rail and bus services, said the slump in like-for-like passenger growth reflected "significant infrastructure challenges which resulted in disappointing [...]
EU president Juncker says Trump ‘gave his word’ not to impose car tariffs February 18, 2019 European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has said he is confident US President Donald Trump will not impose higher tariffs on European car imports. “Trump gave me his word that there won't be any car tariffs for the time being. I believe him,” Juncker told local media, according to his spokesperson. Read more: EU vehicles pose [...]
MPs hit out at Department for Transport over delayed response to May timetable chaos review February 18, 2019 MPs have hit out at the government for its delay in responding to a report into last year's May timetable chaos, which found that transport secretary Chris Grayling could have done more to avert the troubles. The Transport Select Committee said it was "disappointing" that the Department for Transport (DfT) had decided to delay its response [...]
French oil giant Total aims for green with new investments February 18, 2019 French Total took two steps towards a renewable future today as it announced plans to buy a new wind farm in the English Channel and acquired a plastic recycler Synova. The oil major has teamed up with Denmark’s Orsted and Belgian Elicio bid for a 600 MW farm of the coast of Dunkirk. The farm [...]
Norwegian Air shares tumble as leaders agree to sale of subscription rights February 18, 2019 Shares in Norwegian Air crashed this morning after the struggling airline’s boss and board chairman agreed to sell some of their subscription rights to a share issue at less than face value in order to raise emergency funds. Read more: Growth will slow at Norwegian Air as profits in focus Chief executive Bjorn Kjos and chairman [...]
Honda to close Swindon factory in ‘devastating’ blow to Britain’s car industry, putting 3,500 jobs at risk February 18, 2019 Honda is gearing up to announce the closure of its Swindon factory, plunging 3,500 jobs into uncertainty, according to a local MP. The Japanese car manufacturer will close its only factory in the EU in 2022, delivering a serious blow to Britain’s already ailing car manufacturing industry. The decision was first reported by Sky News. [...]