Activist investor Chris Hohn tells Safran chairman: Pull €8.5bn Zodiac deal or we’ll try to oust you March 15, 2017 Chris Hohn’s activist hedge fund has called for a chairman to abandon a proposed €8.5bn (£7.4bn) takeover or face being ousted. The Children’s Investment (TCI) Fund has previously made clear its opposition to a deal under which French aircraft-engine maker Safran, in which it owns a 4.1 per cent stake, is due to buy plane [...]
Brexit could cost the construction sector thousands of workers and increase the skills shortage March 15, 2017 While the UK grapples with a skills shortage in the construction industry, new figures suggest Brexit will threaten eight per cent of the sector's workforce. Losing access to the EU's Single Market will put nearly 200,000 construction jobs at risk, a survey of construction professionals by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) will today reveal. According [...]
Storm Stella has hit airline share prices (including British Airways owner IAG) March 14, 2017 With Storm Stella blowing an icy blizzard on the East Coast of the United States, New Yorkers have battened down the hatches – along with airlines, which cancelled thousands of transatlantic flights today, hitting their share prices hard. On this side of the pond, International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways, Iberia and [...]
Storm Stella: Dozens of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic flights from London to New York cancelled as snow envelops the US March 14, 2017 Dozens of London flights to and from the US have been cancelled after Storm Stella caused travel chaos in the north east of America. The US' National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. According to live flight tracker FlightAware, 6,022 flights [...]
Eurostar tickets go on sale for new high-speed London-Bordeaux line that cuts journey time by an hour March 14, 2017 Eurostar will open ticket sales for a new high-speed route from London to Bordeaux tomorrow. The rail service will give wine fans something to toast as it slashes journey time by more than an hour, providing quicker access to Bordeaux's renowned vineyards of Saint-Emilion and Medo. Read more: It's full steam ahead for Eurostar's Amsterdam services Tickets will be available [...]
Itching to get away? Here are the 10 most well-travelled jobs March 14, 2017 Fancy seeing more of the world as a work perk, but not sure which profession would give you the best chance of doing so? Well, wonder no longer, for Gatwick has analysed how often and where people in different jobs travel for business. Read more: Private jet usage has gone up 25 per cent, London [...]
Night Tube drivers vote for strike action over a “block on career progression” March 14, 2017 Night Tube drivers have voted to strike over a "block on career progression", the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union announced today. The union announced it was holding a ballot over the issue last month, as did train drivers' union Aslef. The result of Aslef's ballot will be announced on Thursday. Read more: A new Night [...]
Australian investment bank Macquarie sells last of its stake in Thames Water to Canadian and Kuwaiti funds March 14, 2017 Australian investment bank Macquarie has sold its stake in Thames Water to a Canadian pension fund and a Kuwaiti infrastructure investor. Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) today announced the sale of its 26.3 per cent interest in Kemble Water Holdings, the holding company of Thames Water. The buyers are Borealis Infrastructure, part of Canada’s OMERS pension fund, and Wren [...]
Ditching First Class and extending high-speed services: Transport secretary Chris Grayling unveils plans to improve Southeastern March 14, 2017 First Class could be ditched and high-speed services extended in new plans unveiled by the government to improve London's commuter trains. The Department for Transport has proposed substantial changes in its proposals for the next Southeastern franchise, currently one of the nation's worst performing rail services. Read more: Auto delay repay? No way, says the company [...]
Northern, Merseyrail and Southern look for fresh talks with the RMT after Southern rail dispute spreads March 14, 2017 Train operators are looking for ways to see off further strike action after a 24-hour walkout was held on Southern, Northern and Merseyrail yesterday in disputes over the role of the guard. Up to 2,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union went on strike yesterday, with walkouts on Merseyrail and Northern after the [...]