Ryanair resorts to AI cost-cutting to swallow higher jet fuel costs Transport & Infrastructure Ryanair is set to use AI to improve productivity and freeze the pay of some of its staff as it grappes with a €2bn increase in fuel costs. Michael O’Leary, chief executive of the budget airline, said the energy costs facing European airlines will be “significantly higher next year,” because many of their fixed-price contracts [...]
Upper Crust owner SSP warns on profit as Iran war hits tourism Hospitality SSP, the owner of travel food outlets like Upper Crust, has warned it will take a hit to its profit after the Iran war caused a “significant contraction” in global tourism. The catering group, which also owns Millie’s Cookies and Caffè Ritazza, said the sharp drop in travel caused by the Middle East conflict has [...]
WH Smith warns on profit again as discounting hits margins Retail WH Smith has cut its profit target again after warning that intense discounting and “inflation headwinds” are hitting its bottom line. The convenience retailer had initially told investors it could make as much as £105m in pre-tax profit this year, before slashing the target to between £75m and £90m. On Wednesday, the group reduced its [...]
Gatwick takes ‘significant’ passenger hit from Iran war August 26, 2026 Gatwick has suffered a “significant” decline in passenger numbers as a result of the Iran war after airlines cancelled flights to the region and holidaymakers swerved destinations like Cyprus, Greece and Turkey. The UK’s second-biggest airport saw total passenger numbers drop by nearly five per cent because of the Middle East conflict, weighing on revenue [...]
Heathrow overtaken by Istanbul as Europe’s busiest airport August 11, 2026 Heathrow said the case for expansion has “never been clearer” after it was overtaken by Istanbul as Europe’s busiest airport. The West London transport hub has long been Europe’s busiest travel destination, and is currently locked in a dispute with the regulator over its plans for a third runway. “The case for expansion has never [...]
Wizz Air profit wiped out by rising fuel prices August 6, 2026 Soaring jet fuel prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East led to a sharp drop in Wizz Air’s profit. The increased fuel costs and “extreme volatility” from the war in Iran caused the budget airline to swing to a €198.2m net loss, a significant shift from its €38.4m gains the prior year. The [...]
Easyjet takes £200m profit hit in Iran war travel chaos July 23, 2026 Easyjet has revealed a £200m profit hit as the budget airline battles with the soaring energy costs and falling travel demand caused by the Iran war. The FTSE 250 carrier posted an £85m profit in the three months to June, down 70 per cent on £286m in the previous year, as passenger volume slipped by [...]
Ryanair profit tumbles as jet fuel prices soar July 20, 2026 Ryanair shed more than a third of its profit as rising jet fuel prices triggered by the Iran war began to take effect. The budget airline had previously insulated itself from rising fuel prices by fixing its energy costs on hedged contracts. But Ryanair said the cost of the 20 per cent of its jet [...]
Jet2 handed £400m boost from Iran war jet fuel spike July 8, 2026 Jet2 recorded a £400m boost from the rising price of jet fuel which caused widespread fear that summer holidays could be cancelled and airlines could go bust. The package holiday provider revealed that it defied the travel chaos caused by the Middle East conflict to instead take a £388m balance sheet boost from rising jet [...]
Brits wary of EU summer hols as officials refuse to ease new border checks July 7, 2026 The European Union has refused to suspend its divisive new border checks despite admitting that it has found 20 “difficult spots” causing queuing chaos. The EU has said it will stand by its new Entry/Exit System (EES), a biometric border regime whose botched rollout has threatened to ruin thousands of summer holidays. Officials admitted that [...]