Qatar Airways completes world’s first fully vaccinated flight April 6, 2021 Qatar Airways has this morning conducted the world’s first ever flight on which all passengers and air crew had been vaccinated. The trial flight, which was designed to demonstrate the airline’s Covid safety systems, took off from Hamad International Airport this morning and returned three hours later. The Gulf airline, which is also trialling IATA’s [...]
Car sales pick up in March as market shows signs of life April 6, 2021 Car sales rose 11.5 per cent in March as the UK market began to show signs of life after a dire year for the automotive industry. According to data from the Society from Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), sales remain around 37 per cent below the monthly average for March between 2010-2019. The third month [...]
Get US on travel ‘green list’ from 17 May, say aviation bosses April 6, 2021 The bosses of some of the UK’s biggest aviation firms have called for the government to make sure that the US is on the “green list” for international travel from 17 May. Speaking at a press conference this morning, British Airways chief exec Sean Doyle, along with Shai Weiss and John Holland-Kaye, his counterparts at [...]
Ryanair and Wizz Air passenger numbers down again as year of pain continues April 6, 2021 Ryanair flew just 0.5m people last month as travel restrictions continued to batter the airline industry as the worst year in its history came to an end. Since last March, when the coronavirus began to spread through Europe, carriers have seen their schedules decimated, with passenger numbers plunging to a mere fraction of normal levels. [...]
Norwegian Air restructuring plan approved in Irish court March 26, 2021 Norwegian Air today saw its restructuring plan approved in Irish court, clearing the way for the embattled airline to come out of bankruptcy protection. Under the plan, the carrier will cut its fleet back to 50 planes and stop long-haul services, cutting 2,000 jobs in the process. Speaking in the Irish High Court today, Justice [...]
BP tells shareholders to vote against climate resolution at AGM March 26, 2021 BP has today told its shareholders to vote against a climate resolution at its upcoming AGM that would demand the company bring its decarbonisation plans closer in line with the 2015 Paris agreement. The oil giant, which has set itself the target of being a net zero firm by 2050, said that the resolution would [...]
Virgin Atlantic launches two ‘vaccine passport’ trials March 26, 2021 Virgin Atlantic today said that it would launch two parallel digital health certificate – or “vaccine passport” – trials as more carriers turn their attention to restarting international travel. The Sir Richard Branson-founded airline said it would trial global aviation body IATA’s smartphone app on trips from the UK to Barbados from 16 April. It [...]
Volkswagen to seek damages from former chairman over dieselgate March 26, 2021 Volkswagen today announced that it would seek damages from its former chairman Professor Marin Winterkorn, as well as former Audi chair Rupert Stadler, over its diesel emissions scandal. The crisis, which exploded when the firm admitted in 2015 it had rigged emissions tests in the US, has cost the car giant €32bn (£27.4bn) in fines [...]
Honda to sell Swindon factory to developer Panattoni March 26, 2021 Honda will sell on its Swindon factory to industrial property developer Panattoni when it leaves the site in July, it was announced today. It is expected that the site will be handed over to the European firm in the spring of 2022, the carmaker said. It did not disclose the value of the deal. Following [...]
Irish Ferries enters Dover to Calais ferry market March 26, 2021 Irish Ferries has this morning announced a new Dover to Calais service, its first foray into the Britain to France market. As a result of the new route, the firm said that hauliers would now have the option of using a single ferry firm connecting France, the UK, and Ireland. It added that the additional [...]
