Stansted is back in growth for first time since the recession January 14, 2014 STANSTED Airport has returned to growth last year for the first time since the recession, with annual traffic up 2.2 per cent to 17.8m passengers. The airport said yesterday it took 1.3m passengers in December, up 7.7 per cent on the previous year and the fourth consecutive month of rising traffic. Manchester Airports Group bought [...]
Regulator imposes surprise Heathrow price cap January 10, 2014 The operator of Heathrow airport is set to clash with regulators after the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said user charges for airlines will be capped at 1.5 per cent below RPI inflation. Dame Deidre Hutton, CAA chairwoman, said the price cap was "good news for air passengers. They will see prices fall, whilst still being [...]
#MOL! Michael O’Leary takes to Twitter again January 9, 2014 THE ARTIST known as #MOL hit Twitter once more yesterday as Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary continued his charm offensive, answering customer questions and, er, wearing a red nose. The airline boss greeted his fans with his usual stinted text speak tweeting: “MOL here. H nu yr. Luv u all x x x Hope u as [...]
Rise in traffic gives Christmas cheer to EasyJet January 7, 2014 EASYJET carried 3.6 per cent more passengers than it did a year ago in 2013, helping narrow the gap between the budget carrier and its larger rival Ryanair. The orange-liveried airline booked in 61.3m customers in 2013, it said yesterday. Traffic in December was up 3.5 per cent at 4.5m, giving FTSE 100-listed EasyJet a [...]
Fact or Fiction 2013 December 19, 2013 Six of these stories happened in 2013, six didn’t – can you spot the real ones? 1 Ex-Goldman Sachs-er “Fabulous” Fabrice Tourre pulled out a love letter as part of his defence during his trial in New York. 2 The Lloyd’s of London building was sold to a Malaysian firm for £300m. 3 Tesco was [...]
Stansted says it will keep growing despite Davies thumbs down December 17, 2013 STANSTED executives were stoic yesterday after the airport was left off the shortlist for a new runway. The airport, which was taken over by Manchester Airports Group in February, had set out plans to build a second runway – and Boris Johnson had talked up the site’s prospects as a five-runway hub. However, Sir Howard [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 10 December 2013 December 9, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Home Secretary criticised for red tape Theresa May has been accused by cabinet colleagues of undermining the government’s pro-business agenda by refusing to cut red tape in the Home Office. The Home Secretary was sent a “scathing letter” late last month by Michael Fallon, the Conservative business minister, and Vince Cable, the Liberal [...]
As passenger numbers grow is EasyJet about to beat Ryanair in the battle for the skies? December 5, 2013 EasyJet has posted an increase in its passenger numbers for the month of November to 4,255,978. This represents a rise of 3.4 per cent on the same period last year. November's increase in passengers marks further good news for the low-cost airline in stark contrast to Irish competitor Ryanair, which has struggled in recent months. [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 28 November 2013 November 27, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES JPMorgan eyed metals unit in 2012 JPMorgan Chase drew up plans to sell part of its metals warehousing empire last year as it faced pressure to show regulators that the business fitted with the activities of a bank, according to newly released documents. American-US Airways merger cleared The long-running effort to merge US [...]
Train with no seats may ease congestion November 25, 2013 BRITAIN’S railways could carry more commuters without spending billions on upgrades if trains offered third-class carriages with almost no seats, a report out yesterday claimed. Passengers could pay a fifth less to travel in a “high-density” section that would be modelled on the London Overground carriages, the paper by transport expert David Starkie for the [...]