More weekend chaos expected as shortages, cancellations and IT issues rampage through April 8, 2022 UK travellers are bracing for more weekend chaos as the industry continues to be hit by a fatal combination of staff shortages, cancellations and IT issues. Brits remain stuck in hour-long queues at major hubs such as Gatwick and Manchester as British Airways and EasyJet slashed another 100 planes as a result of widespread Covid [...]
Tesla boss Elon Musk builds largest and ‘most advanced car factory’ on Earth April 8, 2022 Tesla boss Elon Musk claims to have built the largest factory in the world by volume, at its grand opening last night. The billionaire tech entrepreneur’s Giga Texas Tesla factory, 338m cubic feet in volume, is also hoped to be the biggest battery cell facility in the world “over time”. Speaking at the Cyber Rodeo [...]
P&O’s owner DP World loses partner status at Solent freeport April 8, 2022 P&O Ferries’ owner DP World has lost its partner status in the Solent freeport project, ministers said. “On 28 March 2022 DP World resigned from the Solent freeport board and are no longer a partner in the freeport consortium,” levelling up minister Stephen Greenhalgh told the Guardian. DP World’s commercial director Aart Hille Ris Lambers [...]
Coastguard reinspects detained P&O ferry as operator sets to restart April 7, 2022 The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said today it was reinspecting a P&O Ferry detained in Northern Ireland after it was deemed “unfit to sail.” According to the MCA, the reinspection was taking place at P&O’s request. “All inspections have to satisfy the Maritime and Coastguard Agency that the ferries fulfil the requirement of the [...]
Global aviation to recover by mid-2023 despite uncertainty of Ukraine war April 7, 2022 Global aviation is expected to go back to 2019 levels by August 2023 despite the uncertainty caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, traffic at the end of the year will be between 10 and 15 per cent down on pre-pandemic levels, but a steady recovery is expected to continue [...]
Britain will become a ‘wholly owned subsidiary of China’ if sale of Newport microchip giant is approved, govt is warned April 7, 2022 If businesses like Newport Wafer Fab are sold to companies linked to the Chinese government, Britain will simply become a “wholly owned subsidiary” of China, ministers were warned today. Lord Alton of Liverpool called on ministers to reveal whether the Government had any contracts with Newport Wafer Fab, which manufacturers microchips, and whether the Government [...]
Aircraft lessors see ‘horrendous’ hike in insurance costs April 7, 2022 Lessors are already seeing a “horrendous” hike in insurance costs as the Kremlin’s retaliation against Western sanctions start to bite, said BOC Aviation’s boss Robert Martin. “Because there are going to be huge claims on these insurances this year for confiscation or theft if the aircraft aren’t given back, this will then have a knock [...]
Cazoo reports record year as company not impacted by inflationary pressures April 7, 2022 Ongoing inflationary pressures will not impact online car retailer Cazoo, its chief executive Alex Chesterman said yesterday. “Used cars have historically [pushed] in a recessionary environment, while new cars tend to be much more affected,” Chesterman told analysts during a call. “[New cars] are a luxury purchase whereas used cars are functional.” The company said [...]
Traffic chaos and road closures across Kent as queue of Dover lorries on M20 swells to staggering 25 miles April 7, 2022 A 25-mile coastbound stretch of the M20 is currently closed from junction eight near Maidstone to junction 11 around Westenhanger to store thousands of lorries heading for the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel as part of so-called Operation Brock. The queue is causing chaos on surrounding local roads with traffic on major routes in Kent [...]
Boris Johnson: ‘Nuclear is coming home as UK will have a new reactor every year’ April 7, 2022 Prime Minister Boris Johnson said this morning “nuclear is coming home” as a result of the Government’s energy strategy. In a social media video to promote the plan, which is finally being released on Thursday after repeated delays and Cabinet wrangling, the Prime Minister said: “In the country that was the first to split the [...]