Passengers urged to stay home as Heathrow closed following electrical fire March 21, 2025 Heathrow airport will be closed for all of Friday, after a large electrical fire at a nearby substation. Passengers are being urged not to travel to Europe’s busiest airport, with the website FlightRadar24 reporting that at least 1,300 flights will be cancelled. In the surrounding area in West London, around 150 people have been evacuated [...]
Heathrow to pay first dividend in five years to new owners February 26, 2025 London Heathrow Airport plans to pay its owners a first dividend in five years after passenger numbers reached record highs in 2024. The West London hub has settled on a payout of £250m over the coming weeks, the first since before the pandemic. Heathrow’s ownership underwent its most significant change in decades in 2024 after [...]
Heathrow expansion will test whether Labour are serious about growth January 29, 2025 Keir Starmer’s Damascene conversion to a third runway at Heathrow, which he previously voted against, is welcome. But if he’s serious he will need to take decisive steps to curb the blockers’ tactics – in particular, by reforming judicial review, says Sir Simon Clarke “Congratulations to the climate campaigners. There is no more important challenge [...]
WH Smith pursuing sale of high street business January 25, 2025 WH Smith is in talks to sell its high street arm, as the £1.5bn company looks to focus entirely on its travel retail business. The company’s high street operation is made up of about 500 stores, employing around 5,000 people. “WH Smith confirms that it is exploring potential strategic options for this profitable and cash [...]
Heathrow: Starmer won’t say if he backs London airport expansion January 22, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has refused to say whether he would back the expansion of Heathrow Airport after voting against a third runway in 2018. The Prime Minister said would not be “comment on speculation” on the issue, as emphasised the government is “committed to growth” when asked about reports ministers could be set to approve [...]
Ryanair’s airport booze ban is a bootleggers and baptists problem January 14, 2025 Ryanair has reiterated calls for a two-drink limit in airport bars. Like the prohibition-era bootleggers who lobbied for Sunday closing laws, they’re just trying to increase their own sales, says Christopher Snowdon The budget airline Ryanair has called for a two-drink limit in airport bars to create “a safer travel experience for passengers and crews”. [...]
British Airways succeeds Jaguar in public spotlight after rewards changes January 2, 2025 British Airways has become the latest household name to incur the wrath of a high-profile public backlash in the wake of its decision to significantly change its rewards scheme for loyal customers. The airline revealed earlier this week that it was changing its tiering system for rewards to be based on spend and upped how [...]
Heathrow: Fresh ‘kiss and fly’ charge hike slammed as ‘blatant raid’ December 11, 2024 Heathrow intends to raise per-passenger charges from £5 to £6 in January next year, a move which follows previous hikes in 2024.
Profit takes off at Manchester Airport and London Stansted owner December 10, 2024 Profit at the group behind Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports took off in the first six months of its financial year thanks to a record-breaking summer, it has been announced. Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has reported a pre-tax profit of £139.6m for the six months to 30 September, 2024, up from £115.9m, thanks [...]
Gatwick and Birmingham airport chiefs urge Rachel Reeves to tackle business rates threat December 5, 2024 Chief executives from Gatwick and Birmingham Airport have criticised Chancellor Rachel Reeves' planned changes to business rates.