WH Smith profit grounded as flight cancellations take hold Retail WH Smith shares tumbled after the retailer adopted a more “cautious outlook” as the Iran war sparks a slowdown in international tourism. The retailer’s share price fell by more than 15 per cent on Thursday’s open, to 532p, leaving the stock down more than 16 per cent in the year so far. The stationer suffered [...]
Flight prices to jump as regional airports hit by rocketing tax bills Aviation Air passengers are being warned to brace for ticket hikes as regional airports across the UK face “unprecedented” rises in property tax next year. Regional airports are among the sectors facing the steepest increases in business rates in the UK amid an overhaul of property valuations underpinning the tax. While London’s Heathrow and Gatwick are [...]
Gatwick’s £2.2bn second runway to be challenged in court Legal Gatwick Airport’s £2.2bn second runway will be the focus of a legal challenge at the High Court on Tuesday, as an environmental group opposes the government’s decision to grant the approval. In September, Gatwick Airport’s second runway, the Northern Runway, received development consent from the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander. Gatwick has had a northern runway [...]
London Luton Airport says investment at risk due to Labour’s taxes January 7, 2026 A £2.5bn proposal to expand one of London’s top airports is facing fresh challenges amid rising tax burdens, as the aviation sector feels the pain of Rachel Reeves’ business rates raid. The owner of Luton Airport, Labour-run Luton Council, had put together plans to build a new terminal and increase capacity from 18m to 32m [...]
Flying taxis to slash Heathrow to City trip to 12 minutes December 10, 2025 Commuting from Heathrow to central London may soon be a thing of the past. Vertical Aerospace, founded by the man behind OVO energy, has unveiled Valo, its next generation aircraft designed for quick, zero emission airport to city travel. While the British electric aviation giant’s shares have seen a 94 per cent decline since its [...]
Smiths Group strikes deal to offload detection business for £2bn December 3, 2025 London listed Smiths Group is set to offload another of its businesses, as it works to streamline its operations after bowing to increasing investor pressure. The FTSE 100 company has agreed to sell its Smiths Detection division to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners in a £2bn deal. The business manufactures threat detection technology, including [...]
Macquarie ups stake to become majority owner of London City Airport October 15, 2025 An asset management giant has become the majority owner of London City Airport after buying out some of its fellow shareholders. Macquarie Asset Management has increased its stake in the transport airport to 75 per cent after acquiring a further 50 per cent equity stake from Alberta Investment Management Corporation and OMERS. The move comes after Macquarie [...]
London City Airport’s profit has almost doubled October 6, 2025 Profit at London City Airport almost doubled in 2024 thanks to a rise in passenger numbers, it has been revealed. For its latest financial year, the airport’s pre-tax profit increased from £6.6m to £11.8m. New accounts filed with Companies House also show its turnover rose from £102.6m to £115m. Passenger traffic increased by 4.6 per [...]
London Luton Airport: Profit more than doubles ahead of expansion October 3, 2025 Profit at London Luton Airport more than doubled in 2024 ahead of major expansion plans being signed off by the government. The airport has posted a pre-tax profit of £89.8m for its latest financial year, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The total is up significantly from the £39.9m pre-tax profit London Luton Airport [...]
Heathrow passengers hit by second day of disruption after cyber attack September 21, 2025 London Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, is grappling with a second consecutive day of disruption after a cyber attack on a critical airline IT system forced carriers to abandon automated check-in and boarding. The problems began late on Friday when Collins Aerospace, a US-based supplier of airline technology, confirmed its Muse system, which allows multiple [...]