Etihad slashes losses in first half but still $400m in red August 10, 2021 Gulf carrier Etihad Airways today announced that it had posted a $400m loss for the first six months of the year, half of the $800m it booked last year. The airline said that it had carried just 1m passengers in the period, down 71.5 per cent on a year ago. Passenger revenue came in at [...]
To infinity and beyond – for $450,000, Virgin Galactic says August 6, 2021 Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic will charge passengers $450,000 (£323,500) for a seat on one of its space flights, the firm has announced. The company reopened ticket sales last night, just weeks after its founder successfully completed a flight to the edge of space. At $450,000, tickets are now twice the price paid by 600 [...]
Biden aims to make half of US car sale electric vehicles by 2030 August 5, 2021 Joe Biden will today sign an executive order aimed at making half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emissions vehicles. The President is set to announce the new target at an event at the White House this evening, where he will be joined by car giants and union workers. Alongside the plan he will [...]
EV charging firm Myenergi ‘mulling £500m London listing’ August 5, 2021 Energy tech firm Myenergi is reportedly making plans for a London float that could value the company at up to £500m amid a surge in interest in “green” solutions. The company, which is best known for its Zappi electric car home charging system, is backed by Sir Terry Leahy, the former Tesco boss. A spokesman [...]
Qatar Airways grounds 13 Airbus jets due to ‘degrading’ fuselages August 5, 2021 Qatar Airways has today grounded 13 of its Airbus A350 planes due to the faster than expected deterioration of their fuselages. The airline was instructed to cease flying the affected planes by its regulator after the issue was discovered. It marks yet another escalation in an ongoing row between Qatar and Airbus over the problem. [...]
Mexico headed for travel red list but India turns amber as hotel quarantine rises to £3,700 per couple August 5, 2021 Any couples travelling in Mexico will now see their holiday get whole lot more expensive: The tourist hotspot will move to the UK’s travel red list from 4am Sunday, meaning any Brits arriving back in England must pay for a 10-day hotel quarantine which will rise to £3,700 per couple. The UK Government announced the [...]
Sadiq Khan wants to make not wearing a mask on Tube a criminal offence August 5, 2021 Refusing to wear a face mask on the Tube should be made into a criminal offence, Sadiq Khan has said. The mayor of London wants the government to introduce a new bye-law that would enshrine face mask wearing on Transport for London (TfL) in law. Wearing a face mask in enclosed spaces is no longer [...]
France and Spain holidays saved but travel firms urge government to open borders August 5, 2021 Fresh changes to the UK’s travel traffic light system to ensure holidays in France and Spain can happen this summer for vaccinated Brits, but many airlines and tourism companies are demanding faster progress. From 4am on Sunday arrivals from France, if fully vaccinated against Covid-19, will no longer need to self-isolate at home for 10 [...]
Battle brewing over ‘unreformed and generous’ TfL pension scheme August 4, 2021 Sadiq Khan is gearing up for a battle with Transport for London (TfL) staff after a report on the transport operator’s finances found its pension scheme was “expensive, unreformed and generous”. According to the Telegraph, advisers to London’s Mayor have said that the current scheme is more beneficial for workers than models used by Network [...]
Croydon tram crash: Families make official call for new inquest August 4, 2021 The families of the victims of the Croydon tram crash have made a formal request for a fresh inquest into the incident, after last month’s verdict was slammed as a “total farce”. In July the jury ruled that the seven deaths were the result of an accident after the coroner did not call representatives of [...]