Airlines lobby to axe levy on passengers November 17, 2011 FOUR of Britain’s biggest airlines put aside their differences yesterday to lobby the government to scrap its air passenger duty (APD), which they slammed as uncompetitive. Ryanair, EasyJet, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have written to the chancellor arguing the tax on passengers, set to rise by twice the rate of inflation in 2012, puts [...]
This tax will not fly: Don’t ground Britain’s growth November 17, 2011 THE chief executives of rival airlines Virgin Atlantic, easyJet, Ryanair and the IAG group – which includes British Airways – do not normally agree to share a platform. That they chose to yesterday morning – outlining their opposition to Air Passenger Duty (APD) – is a sign of how seriously the aviation sector takes this [...]
Airlines call for an end to passenger tax November 17, 2011 Four of the UK and Ireland’s biggest airlines have called on the government to scrap Air Passenger Duty (APD), saying its negative impact on the economy was outweighing any benefit from the revenue raised. Passengers have to pay between £24 and £170 in APD, depending on the length of flight, substantially more than when the [...]
Focus on more lucrative routes boosts Ryanair November 7, 2011 RYANAIR raised its 2011 profit forecast by 10 per cent yesterday, saying a focus on more lucrative routes was pushing up revenue per passenger and offsetting stubbornly high fuel prices. The budget airline, headed up by outspoken boss Michael O’Leary, said it had seen virtually no impact from the global downturn in consumer confidence, but [...]
Markets hit by Eurozone contagion fears November 7, 2011 Banks were the weakest link on the FTSE 100 this morning as the move towards a coalition government in Greece failed to impress wary investors. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, who attempted to call a referendum on a crucial European Union bailout plan, will stand down when the new government takes over. Eurozone ministers meet [...]
Ryanair lifts profit forecast by 10pc November 7, 2011 Ryanair increased its 2011 profit forecast by 10 per cent, saying higher revenues per passenger mile would offset stubbornly high fuel prices. Europe’s largest budget airline, which released first-half results, said it had seen virtually no impact from the downturn in consumer confidence, but warned traffic would fall in the coming months as it grounded [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 3, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES NEWS CORP LOSES HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES Beryl Cook is stepping down as head of human resources at News Corp, robbing James Murdoch of an ally in head office and becoming the latest figure to leave his father’s top team without being replaced in the office of the chairman. Ms Cook has worked [...]
Ryanair lays out ambitious growth plans October 23, 2011 RYANAIR is preparing for take off with ambitious growth plans, including almost doubling its passenger numbers over the next decade. Colourful chief executive Michael O’Leary says he is ready to buy up to 300 new aircraft in a bid to fly as many as 130m passengers a year, up from the current 70m, according to [...]
To keep the economy flying we need more air capacity: Heathwick is our best hope October 13, 2011 AS AN island nation, the ability to move people and goods effectively and quickly to and from our shores is of vital importance to British business”. So says David Frost, former director-general of the British Chamber of Commerce, and he couldn’t be more right. A culture that throws so many obstacles in the way of [...]
Ryanair keeps pressure on Aer Lingus for payout October 12, 2011 RYANAIR ramped up pressure on Aer Lingus yesterday, calling in an open letter for the airline to take “urgent action” to improve its share price. Undeterred by Aer Lingus’ plan for a shareholder meeting announced yesterday, Ryanair penned its third open letter in the space of a month to ask for a €0.20 per share [...]