Airlines to run more flights this summer to keep hold of coveted take-off slots January 24, 2022 Airlines will be forced to run more flights this summer, no matter their passenger numbers, in a bid to keep hold of coveted take-off and landing slots. Carriers must use their flight slots at least 70 per cent of the time, transport secretary Grant Shapps has announced, up from at least 50 per cent of [...]
‘Britain is back in business’: Covid-19 tests for vaccinated travellers scrapped January 24, 2022 Fully vaccinated travellers flying into England will no longer require Covid-19 tests, Boris Johnson has confirmed. The government had been due to review the pandemic travel rules, amid calls from the aviation industry to cut curbs. Chief executives at Ryanair, Easyjet, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Jet2 have sought assurance from government today that it [...]
Ryanair to return to profit with hopes of flying 165m passengers this year, says boss January 24, 2022 Ryanair’s boss expects to return to profit this year, as the Irish airline looks to fly 165m passengers. Chief executive Michael O’Leary has forecast carrier occupancy to climb to between 90 per cent and 95 per cent this summer. The budget airline will once again be profitable once occupancy reaches 80 per cent, O’Leary told [...]
Panasonic invests £522m to produce Tesla EV batteries January 24, 2022 Panasonic has sold its stake in electric car maker Tesla for $3.6bn, a spokesperson for the Japanese company said today. The sale comes as Panasonic looks to raise cash for investing in growth and to reduce its dependence on Tesla. The electronics firm is dominated by Elon Musk’s company, but the two have often had a rocky relationship with executives trading barbs publicly.
Airline bosses call on government to rule out more border closures January 24, 2022 Airline bosses have called on government to rule out the introduction of border closures even if a new Covid-19 variant emerges, as the UK begins to put the pandemic behind it. Government last week brought an end to so-called Plan B restrictions, which saw self-isolation rules and work from home guidance scrapped. With signs of [...]
CarTrawler CEO Cormac Barry on the travel sector’s long road to recovery January 23, 2022 No more PCR tests before arriving in England and most travel restrictions out of the window. International arrivals will instead be asked to take a lateral flow test on arrival and only to self-isolate if it comes back positive. The UK government’s recent announcements were warmly welcomed by the UK’s aviation and tourism sectors, including [...]
Flight or fight: 5G confusion rocks both sides of the Atlantic January 21, 2022 The frenzy around 5G seems to have eased in the last day, as many US carriers – including American Airlines – said they registered a “minor operational impact”.
Studying Boris Johnson’s £335bn idea of a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland cost taxpayer £900,000 January 21, 2022 A study commissioned by Prime Minister Boris Johnson into which found it would be too expensive to build a bridge or tunnel between Scotland and Northern Ireland cost taxpayers nearly £900,000. The Department for Transport (DfT) said the research into the feasibility of a fixed link cost £896,681. Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy led [...]
EV battery producer Britishvolt confirms plans for UK gigafactory with £1.7bn funding deal January 21, 2022 British electric vehicle battery producer Britishvolt has today confirmed plans for a new gigafactory in the North East through a £1.7bn funding deal. The firm has secured investment through the government’s Automotive Transformation Fund and private funding from Trixtax and abrdn. The new plant, which will be in Blyth, is expected to create 5,000 jobs [...]
Qatar Airways vs Airbus: Court date set for late April January 20, 2022 A division of London’s High Court has set late April as the court date for Qatar Airways’ $618m lawsuit against plane maker Airbus, according to Reuters sources. The Qatari airline decided in December to take Airbus to court over a damage dispute concerning the A350 model, after it was forced to ground some of its [...]