France, Germany and Nordic countries close airspace to Russian planes February 27, 2022 France, Germany and the Nordic countries – Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland – are joining the growing list of countries who closed their airspace to Russian aviation following the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. “France is shutting its airspace to all Russian aircraft and airlines from this evening on,” tweeted French transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari. “To [...]
Rail operators ramp up services following passenger demand increase February 27, 2022 Rail operators Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway are set to ramp up services as passenger demand is coming back post Omicron. Avanti West Coast’s services between London Euston, Manchester and Birmingham will double from tomorrow, with managing director Phil Whittingham saying the company “remains committed to supporting the ongoing recovery of our economy.” [...]
British Airways cancels all Heathrow short-haul flights amid IT issue February 26, 2022 British Airways said it would be cancelling all short-haul flights from London’s Heathrow airport until midday as it deals with an IT failure affecting its website, app, and airport operations. “We are extremely sorry that due to the continuing technical issues we are facing we have regrettably had to cancel all short-haul flights from Heathrow [...]
EV charging provider EO extends deadline for US SPAC merger February 25, 2022 Electric vehicle (EV) charging provider EO Charging has extended the deadline to complete a $675m merger with US special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) First Reserve Sustainable Growth. Sources said that, while the agreement is required to be finalised by 11 March, doubts on whether the company will meet the deadline have emerged, Sky News has [...]
RMT adds strike action on Trans Pennine Express on top of rail and tube February 25, 2022 The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has announced that Trans Pennine Express conductors will join rail and tube workers in a strike action during the weekend. Conductor members on Trans Pennine Express will stage a 24-hour walkout over salaries, announcing an additional programme of strikes through June. Night Tube drivers will [...]
Government agrees to extend TfL funding until June February 25, 2022 The UK Government has agreed to extending Transport for London’s (TfL) funds until 24 June, the public body announced today. According to TfL’s commissioner Andy Byford, while the £200m extension is very welcome the government still needs to consent to a longer-term financial deal to help the body avoid a £1.5bn financial black hole. “The [...]
UK commercial vehicle manufacturing goes up in January as international demand increases February 25, 2022 Even though it was the worst January for UK automotive production since 2009, last month saw a 22.2 per cent increase in commercial vehicle (CV) manufacturing. According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), in January the UK produced 6,860 vans, trucks, taxis and buses – an increase on 2021 levels [...]
IAG fleet not having same issues as Qatar Airways, boss says February 25, 2022 IAG’s boss Luis Gallego said today the airline’s Airbus A350 fleet is not experiencing the same level of degradation as Qatar Airways. “We don’t have the same type of issues that Qatar has, and we are operating A350s, and we have not had problems,” the chief executive explained, adding that the EU aviation safety regulator, [...]
UK slams Russia’s airline restrictions as “retaliation” to Aeroflot ban February 25, 2022 The UK has slammed Russia’s decision to restrict its airspace to British airlines as “retaliation” to yesterday’s ban of Moscow airline Aeroflot. “I think that’s their retaliation for us yesterday banning Aeroflot from using and landing in the United Kingdom,” defence secretary Ben Wallace said to ITV’s Good Morning Britain. “That’s their tit for tat [...]
Worst January since 2009 for UK automotive production February 25, 2022 Last month was the worst January since 2009 for the UK automotive production, figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed. Car production fell 20.1 per cent to 68,790 units – 17,262 vehicles down compared with the same time last year. Domestic and overseas production slumped to 30.8 and 17.5 per cent, [...]