Walsh: Anything shy of 2050 net-zero goal will be a failure September 27, 2022 Aviation boss Willie Walsh is calling on governments and industry regulators to commit to a net-zero goal by 2050. “I think anything shy of that will be viewed as a failure,” he told journalists on Tuesday afternoon as he talked about the ongoing International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assembly in Vancouver. The UN body’s assembly [...]
GWR engineers join rail workers and strike on 1 October September 27, 2022 Around 350 engineers will join colleagues working at Great Western Railways (GWR) as well as across the network and strike on 1 October over salaries. The union Unite said that, despite a current inflation rate of 9.9 per cent, GWR engineers were not offered a pay increase. Disruption will affect the operator’s depots and stations [...]
Virgin Atlantic boss calls on Govt to make ‘difficult decisions’ and bring pound up September 27, 2022 Virgin Atlantic’s boss Shai Weiss has called on Prime Minister Liz Truss to make “difficult decisions” and bring the pound’s value up. “The message to the government is pretty clear in my mind,” he told journalists on Tuesday morning. “Prime Minister Liz Truss has taken difficult decisions upon entering the role. “Maybe you need to [...]
Virgin Atlantic to join global airline alliance SkyTeam from 2023 September 27, 2022 Virgin Atlantic has announced it will join global airline alliance SkyTeam from early 2023, becoming the first carrier to enter the organisation in eight years. It will also be the first and only UK airline to become a SkyTeam member. Chief executive Shai Weiss told journalists on Tuesday morning the move was “an obvious extension” [...]
Brazil threatens UK with WTO action over new deforestation legislation September 27, 2022 The Brazilian government has threatened to challenge proposed UK deforestation legislation at the World Trade Organisation, documents shared with Morning Wire this morning reveal. The proposed legislation seeks to prevent ‘large companies’ in the UK from using products grown on illegally deforested land. When asked to disclose submissions by the Brazilian government to its consultations [...]
EV switch under threat from uneven roll out and rising energy prices September 27, 2022 Over the last few years, an increasing number of Brits have joined the green car revolution and switched to electric vehicles (EVs). There are currently over 900,000 electric cars in the UK – up from less than 4,000 a decade ago, according to data from the RAC. While this only represents 4.5 per cent of [...]
Automotive industry underpaid taxes more than any sector after 143 per cent surge September 26, 2022 The automotive sector has seen the highest increase in underpaid taxes, following a 143 per cent year surge. According to financial investigation firm PfP, the amount the HMRC thinks the industry has avoided paying has gone up from £182.3m to more than £444.2m. This will lead to increased industry scrutiny over the next year. But [...]
Young buyers drive private jet boom as owners under 45 surge September 26, 2022 Young buyers are among the main drivers behind the private aviation boom as jet owners under 45 have increased by 20 per cent in the last five years. Data from private jet brokers Jetcraft showed that in Europe 24 per cent of pre-owned jet buyers are younger than 45, with numbers increasing to 38 per [...]
Volkswagen joins materials firm Umicore in £2.6bn battery venture September 26, 2022 Volkswagen has teamed up with Belgian materials firm Umicore and announced a €3bn (£2.6bn) battery parts joint venture. The German powerhouse is the latest automotive maker aiming to bring battery production in-house to protect it from geopolitical tensions as it also reduces logistics costs. While raw materials will be sourced from around the world, the [...]
EV drivers hit by rise in public charging costs September 26, 2022 The cost of charging an electric vehicle has risen 42 percent since May, according to RAC Electric Experts. On average it now costs 63.29p per kilowatt hour to refuel an EV at a public rapid charger on a non-subscription basis – an 18.75p increase from four months ago. The latest figures show that “it is [...]