Balder looks primed to give Alan King a second Ascot Chase success February 12, 2015 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS THE BEST OF THE WEEKEND RACING ACTION WITH just over three weeks to go until the start of the Cheltenham Festival, the excitement is really starting to build. Most of the key protagonists have now had their prep runs but there are still a couple of decent trials to look forward to, [...]
Road to Cheltenham February 12, 2015 THE purpose of this column is to find horses that are going to turn up at the Festival at a shorter price and the Ryanair Chase has an attractive look to it from a betting perspective. Don Cossack is the 4/1 favourite, but I’m keen to take him on. He’s four from four this season, [...]
Ryanair takes Aer Lingus challenge to UK Supreme Court as a human rights issue February 12, 2015 Ryanair is taking its legal challenge over Aer Lingus to the UK Supreme Court, claiming it is a human rights issue. The budget airline had previously been told by the Competition and Markets Authority to sell most of its 29 per cent stake in Aer Lingus, reducing its holding to no more than five [...]
TUI on course for profit growth after merger February 10, 2015 The figures Tui Group has reported a 23.5 per cent jump in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation in its first quarter, and a 5.4 per cent jump in revenues – in line with expectations. Hotels and resorts performed particularly well during the period, it added. The newly formed entity, forged through a merger [...]
Aer Lingus loses passengers but wins EU lawsuit February 5, 2015 BOTH Aer Lingus and rival EasyJet have posted disappointing passenger numbers for the first month of 2015. The Irish flag carrier said mainline passenger numbers fell 4.5 per cent year-on-year in January to 546,000. Aer Lingus, which is subject to a potential takeover bid from British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG), said its long-haul [...]
Wizzair back on the flotation runway February 4, 2015 EASTERN European-focused budget airline Wizz Air has resurrected plans to list on the London Stock Exchange, seeking to raise €150m (£113m) to help compete with larger rival Ryanair. Hungary-based Wizz, whose rivals also include EasyJet, pulled a plan for an initial public offering last June, citing market volatility in the airline sector.
Ryanair shares down despite growing passenger numbers February 2, 2015 DISCOUNT carrier Ryanair revealed a boosted earnings outlook yet again yesterday, with profits expected to reach €840m-€850m (£630m-£638m) during the 12 months to 31 March 2015. This is up from the €810m-€830m forecast issued less than two months ago on 4 December. The company also posted a €49m net profit for the three months to 31 [...]
Aggregates firm CRH lifts FTSE as oil drama goes on – London Report February 2, 2015 Irish building supplies groups CRH offset a drop in airlines after Ryanair warned on its profit outlook to push the FTSE index higher yesterday. Shares in CRH, one of the top gainers in the FTSE 100 index , rose 7.2 per cent after the company said it had agreed to pay €6.5bn (£4.9bn) for assets [...]
Ryanair share price drops despite raised profit guidance and $400m share buyback February 2, 2015 Ryanair's profits are flying, but the news failed to impress investors. The figures Ryanair has boosted its earnings outlook yet again, with profits expected to reach €840-850m (£630-638m) during the 12 months to 31 March 2015. This is up from the €810-€830m (£610-625m) forecast issued less than two months ago on 4 December. [...]
Road to Cheltenham January 29, 2015 SOME were encouraged by Sprinter Sacre’s return to the racecourse earlier this month, while others were left somewhat cold by the speed at which he stopped up Ascot’s home straight. I guess I sit somewhere between the two camps. I was impressed with how he travelled through most of the race, but was concerned by [...]