Ryanair profit surges by 17 per cent November 1, 2010 Ryanair has reported a 17 per cent surge in first half net profit and upgraded its full-year earnings guidance. The low cost Irish airline now expects full-year net earnings to be in a range of 380m to 400m euros (£328m to £345.3m) compared with previous guidance of 350m to 375m euros. The rosier outlook comes [...]
Airline quits Belfast City October 31, 2010 IRISH budget carrier Ryanair yesterday closed its Belfast City Airport base after saying delays to a new runway had stopped it launching new routes. Dublin-based Ryanair said it was ceasing services to London and four other services to the UK from the Northern Ireland airport, switching its one Belfast City-based aircraft to another airport and [...]
A home away from home in Poland’s loveliest city October 26, 2010 IT is a pity that ancient and beautiful Krakow is no longer the capital of Poland – sometime towards the 19th century Polish kings veered towards Warsaw for business but they always asked to return to Krakow for their final resting place, as did many famous Polish saints, poets and bishops. These days, Krakow is [...]
O’Leary wants Aer Lingus October 19, 2010 Ryanair hopes the Irish government’s financial woes will help the low-cost carrier finally seal a takeover of Aer Lingus, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary told a German newspaper yesterday. Ryanair, which owns almost 30 per cent of Aer Lingus, has tried twice to take over its rival but has struggled to overcome opposition from the [...]
BAA to sell two airports after losing court ruling October 13, 2010 AIRPORT operator BAA is set to take its battle with the Competition Commission to the Supreme Court, after the regulator won a High Court ruling forcing it to sell off two more airports to satisfy competition concerns in the industry. BAA’s Spanish owner Ferrovial will now have to sell off Stansted and either Glasgow or [...]
Ryanair boss threatens French exodus October 10, 2010 RYANAIR, the Dublin-based budget airline, has threatened to pull out of its Marseille base in response to accusations that the airline failed to notify officials about French employees. The threats came as part of a letter written by the airline’s boss, Michael O’Leary and obtained by Le Parisien newspaper. O’Leary wrote that Ryanair will soon [...]
Why Gatwick Airport’s new chief has Heathrow lined up in his sights October 10, 2010 SOME people need to have a lot on their plates if they are to thrive – and Stewart Wingate, Gatwick’s newish boss, is clearly one of these. The 39-year-old took up his post last December when the airport was bought by US investment fund Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) for £1.5bn from Ferrovial-owned airports operator BAA, which [...]
September traffic rises for Ryanair October 4, 2010 BUDGET airline Ryanair carried more passengers in September compared with the same period last year. According to the Dublin-based airline led by chief executive Michael O’Leary, it carried 6.84m people last month, marking a sharp 12 per cent increase from September last year when it flew 6.12m people. However, Ryanair said that it has flown [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING September 28, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES FOX SAVAGES TREASURY ON DEFENCE CUTS Liam Fox, the defence secretary, has launched a big assault on the Treasury’s attempt to slash his department’s budget, warning that “draconian” cuts to military spending cannot be implemented without “grave consequences” for the Conservative party and the government. In a head-on attack on chancellor George Osborne’s [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS September 23, 2010 LCCI The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry has appointed British Airways boss Willie Walsh as its new president following an election at its annual meeting on Wednesday night. Walsh, 48, will serve for two years, until after the 2012 Olympics in London. He has been chief executive of BA since October 2005, having also [...]