Rail regulator urges operators to stop profiting from ticket refund admin fees February 16, 2022 Train operators were urged today to stop profiting from excessive admin fees applied to ticket refund practices. According to railway regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), while the admin fees for ticket refunds amount to £10, the actual cost of processing refunds is around £5. After analysing data between 1 April 2019 and [...]
Ryanair boss says Ukraine operations will continue as long as “there is no war or missiles flying there” February 16, 2022 Ryanair’s boss has declared the low-cost airline has a duty to operate in Ukraine and will continue to fly as long as “there is no war or missiles flying there”. “We see no reason not to continue those flights until we are told by European authorities that it is not safe to fly,” he said during [...]
Volkswagen U-turns and predicts chip shortages to ease later this year February 16, 2022 Volkswagen made a U-turn today and predicted that chip shortages will ease in the second half of 2022. “We see opportunities for further production increases, especially in the second half of the year,” the group’s chief executive Herbert Diess said during a speech. Diess’s comments come a few days after another member of Volkswagen’s management [...]
London Assembly pleads with DfT to secure TfL long-term funding as money runs out on Friday February 16, 2022 The London Assembly has made a last-ditch effort and pleaded with the Department for Transport (DfT) to agree to a long-term funding deal for Transport for London (TfL). Caroline Pidgeon, chair of the assembly’s transport committee, said that without a long-term financial deal the public body would be paralysed, as funding is set to expire [...]
Ryanair roasts “NoVax” Novak over vaccine stance February 16, 2022 Novak Djokovic has taken the heat over his stance on vaccinations from many around the world, but yesterday the tennis champion was roasted by none other than low-cost airline Ryanair. “We’re not an airline but we do fly planes,” the company said in a tweet after Djokovic revealed in a BBC interview that he would [...]
Heathrow chief says fares row no good for either side of debate February 16, 2022 DESPITE a very public feud between airlines and Heathrow over the airport’s passenger fees, the airport’s boss has told City A.M. that co-operation will see both sides come out stronger. “The best way through this actually is to work with airlines to recover as fast as we can,” John Holland-Kaye said. The airport and carriers [...]
Eurocell builds £600m European gigafactory to produce batteries in a year February 16, 2022 Anglo-Korean battery producer Eurocell announced today it will build its first European gigafactory and start delivering batteries by next year. With an initial £600m investment, Eurocell’s gigafactory will mass produce and export its batteries from one of the main markets – the UK, Spain or the Netherlands. The company has said that the factory’s location [...]
Automotive industry calls for new regulator to govern EV charge point mandate February 16, 2022 The UK automotive industry is lobbying for an independent regulator called Ofcharge to govern the mandate of electric vehicle (EV) charge points. The sector released today a seven-point plan to ensure UK drivers benefit from an affordable and available EV charging network, working alongside the government and other stakeholders to establish mandated targets for infrastructure [...]
Airbus UK workers to strike over pay amid $600m lawsuit February 15, 2022 Airbus can’t seem to catch a break these days as, amid a $600m lawsuit with Qatar Airways, workers at the company’s Wales and Gloucestershire factories voted today in favour of a strike. Around 3,000 airbus employees part of the union Unite have decided to stage the walkout, after the company refused to improve salaries, which [...]
Swedish EV maker Polestar to open research base in the Midlands February 15, 2022 Swedish electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Polestar announced today it will open a new research facility in the Midlands, creating employment opportunities for more than 800 people. The firm, which has already a facility in the Midlands town of Nuneaton, has chosen the area once again because of the presence of both Formula 1 engineers and [...]
