Cityfibre extends full fibre roll-out to 36 more cities March 6, 2020 Cityfibre will extend the roll-out of its full fibre network to 36 more towns and cities around the country, with an additional £1.5bn in construction contracts to be awarded by July. The new investment, which is part of a £4bn national programme targeting up to 8m premises in the UK, will bring full fibre to [...]
Flybe collapse: Virgin Atlantic refused to put more cash into beleaguered airline March 5, 2020 Virgin Atlantic refused to put any more money into collapsed regional airline Flybe due to the effect of the coronavirus outbreak on its own bookings. In a witness statement filed by Mark Anderson, chief executive of Flybe owner Connect Airways, first reported by Sky News, Virgin Atlantic had told the airline on Tuesday evening that [...]
Flybe collapse: Loganair to take on 16 of Flybe’s routes March 5, 2020 Scottish regional carrier Loganair has said that it will cover 16 of failed airline Flybe’s routes, which will mean adding around 400 flights per week. The 16 routes – from existing Loganair base airports at Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Newcastle – will be launched progressively over the next three months, with the majority starting [...]
Car industry calls for electric vehicle tax break as new sales decline March 5, 2020 The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has called for a tax break on all new battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric and hydrogen fuel cell electric cars in order to encourage the take up of more environmentally friendly models in the UK. According to the SMMT, cutting VAT on such models would reduce the [...]
Flybe collapse: Regional airports braced for ‘massive impact’ March 5, 2020 The collapse of Flybe could have a “massive impact” on the UK’s regional airports, with considerable doubts as to whether some of the regional carrier’s routes would be taken on by other operators. Aviation consultant John Strickland told the PA News Agency that it would be a “challenge” to get replacement airlines, describing it as [...]
Flybe passenger Q&A: What should I do if I was due to travel with Flybe? March 5, 2020 Any Flybe passenger will not be able to fly after the budget airline collapsed into administration in the early hours of this morning. It failed to obtain a £100m loan from the government to stay afloat. The airline issued a statement saying that “all flights operated by Flybe have been cancelled with immediate effect”. But [...]
Global airlines could take $113bn hit from Covid-19, four times worse than past predictions March 5, 2020 The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said that the coronavirus could cost the global industry up to $113bn this year, nearly four times larger than previous estimates. The industry body’s best-case scenario sees a minimum hit of $63bn if the Covid-19 virus is contained within current markets, but said this figure could nearly double [...]
Flybe collapse: Travel sector reacts as regional airline goes bankrupt March 5, 2020 Beleaguered Flybe collapsed into administration in the early hours of this morning, as its long-running bid for survival finally ran out of fuel. In a statement, the regional airline said: “All flights operated by Flybe have been cancelled with immediate effect”. The firm added that a slump in demand caused by the coronavirus outbreak had [...]
Government at risk of another Carillion-style failure, warns report March 4, 2020 The government is at risk of another Carillion-style collapse if it does not support the reforms proposed after the outsourcing giant’s collapse two years ago. In a new report, the Institute for Government (IfG) has said that the government has “not consistently” followed the Cabinet Office’s new guidelines as to how large contracts are awarded [...]
Flybe on the brink of bankruptcy after coronavirus hits demand – report March 4, 2020 Flybe could collapse into bankruptcy tonight as coronavirus outbreak saw a slump in demand at the regional carrier, which is reportedly in last ditch rescue talks with the government. Earlier the Financial Times reported that Flybe was set to miss out on a £100m loan from the government, meaning that the embattled regional carrier’s survival [...]
