Willie Walsh to step down as chief executive of British Airways owner IAG January 9, 2020 Willie Walsh, the outspoken CEO of British Airways’ owner International Airlines Group (IAG), is to step down, in a move likely to elicit a sigh of relief among politicians, union bosses and rival airline chiefs alike. IAG said this morning that Walsh, 58, would quit as chief executive in March, and officially retire on 30 [...]
Northern Rail franchise on course for financial collapse in ‘a number of months’ January 9, 2020 The crisis-stricken Northern Rail franchise is on course for a full-scale financial collapse within months, according to transport secretary Grant Shapps. In a statement citing the franchise’s most recent financial information, Shapps said the franchise could only continue to run for “a number of months” before the government stepped in. Read more: Arriva-run Northern Rail [...]
Iran plane crash: Ukraine U-turns on engine failure as cause of Boeing 737 crash January 8, 2020 Ukraine’s embassy in Iran has dropped a reference to engine failure as a cause of the Boeing 737 plane crash that killed 176 people earlier today. Iranian state media had initially reported that “technical issues” were behind the disaster after the Boeing 737-800 crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran’s international airport. Read more: Iran [...]
Airlines divert flights around Iran and Iraq after missile attacks and Boeing crash January 8, 2020 A host of airlines have said they will divert flight routes over the Middle East after Iran launched missile attacks on US air bases in Iraq last night. The announcements come after a Boeing jet also crashed over the Iranian capital overnight, killing 176 people. Airlines including Qantas, Etihad, Singapore and Emirates said they will [...]
Norwegian Air earnings rise as December capacity cuts take effect January 7, 2020 Norwegian Air was forced to cut its capacity for the third month in a row in December, as it scrapped loss-making routes as part of a plan to return to profit. The firm, which recently appointed a new boss, Jacob Schram, has struggled over the last year after rapid expansion. In 2014, Norwegian introduced the UK’s [...]
FTSE 100 falls sharply as Soleimani death rocks stocks January 6, 2020 FTSE 100 stocks fell steeply on the opening of London’s market today as tensions between the US and Iran escalated further following the killing of a top Iranian general. London’s blue-chip index sank one per cent to 7,545.4 points in early trading after the US-sanctioned assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani drove markets lower and [...]
Greater Anglia rail franchise clause at centre of dispute involving Abellio January 5, 2020 A row between rail officials in Holland and Britain has spilled over into 2020, after train operator Abellio continued to take heavy losses from a clause in one of its UK government contracts. Abellio is a subsidiary of Dutch state-owned company Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS). Read more: Rail: Williams review recommendations ‘could take 10 years to [...]
Tim Clark to step down after thirty years as Emirates Airlines president December 24, 2019 Sir Tim Clark will step down as the president of Emirates Airline in June next year, bringing to an end more than 30 years at the company. Under Clark’s leadership the state-owned business became the world’s largest airline and helped transform Dubai into a global transport hub. Read more: Emirates orders $9bn worth of Boeing [...]
Revealed: The best and worst airlines of 2019 December 19, 2019 British Airways will feel the pressure as it freefalls to a spot alongside the nation’s worst flyers, above only Ryanair and American Airlines, according to a survey by consumer magazine Which. It is a fast fall from grace for the company that topped the tables in 2015 as strikes, IT failures and mass cancellations have [...]
‘World’s first’ fully-electric commercial flight takes off in Canada December 11, 2019 A fully-electric passenger seaplane has taken off in Vancouver, Canada, in what has been described as a “world first” in aviation. The test flight by Harbour Air and Magni X was by a six-passenger plane, fitted with an electric motor – the first all-electric commercial aircraft. Read more: Electric-powered regional flights ‘could be taking off [...]