Budget airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air report soaring passenger numbers in April May 2, 2019 Budget airlines Ryanair and Wizz Air both boosted passenger numbers last month Ryanair Group’s traffic was up 10 per cent to 13.5m passengers compared to April last year while Wizz Air saw passenger numbers rise to 3.28m, an increase of 19 per cent. Read more: Ryanair traffic soars despite challenging results In April Wizz Air [...]
Volkswagen squirrels away €1bn contingency fund to pay emissions scandal legal fees May 2, 2019 Volkswagen has set aside €1bn (£858m) for the ongoing legal battle surrounding its emissions cheating scandal, it revealed this morning. Read more: Volkswagen to build Tesla-style gigafactories for electric car batteries Europe’s biggest car maker said the contingency fund had hit its operating profit in its first quarter trading update, adding that it expects the [...]
London Underground staff to stage three-day Tube strike over FA Cup final weekend May 2, 2019 London Underground staff are preparing to stage a three-day strike over the weekend of the FA cup final over safety concerns. Engineering and maintenance members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union (RMT) at depots across Greater London have voted to not book on for any shifts between 17 May to 20 May over cuts [...]
It’s time to stop arguing about expanding Heathrow – and get building May 2, 2019 Thankfully for the UK economy, the High Court yesterday quashed a challenge brought against the government’s decision to expand Heathrow Airport. No one questions the need for scrutiny. Indeed, detailed consideration for how to manage the impact of the expansion on local people – which for some will be significant – lies ahead through the [...]
Crossrail’s 2021 delay to cost TfL an extra £1bn in lost revenue, says Moody’s May 1, 2019 The delay to Crossrail until 2021 will cost Transport for London (TfL) £1bn in lost revenue, according to influential rating agency Moody's. The £1bn figure is between £300m-£400m more than TfL had forecasted in its 2018 business plan, published after the announcement in the summer that the £17.6bn railway would not open that December as planned. Read [...]
Government cancels no-deal Brexit ferry contracts at £50m cost to taxpayer May 1, 2019 The Department for Transport (DfT) has cancelled its no-deal Brexit contracts with ferry companies, racking up heavy costs for the taxpayer. Read more: Government ferry contracts to cost millions more if Brexit is delayed The government last year spent more than £100m chartering extra ferries to ease congestion in the Channel in the event that [...]
Prepare for take off: Heathrow airport expansion cleared by High Court May 1, 2019 The government today won a legal battle that had sought to stop its proposed £14bn expansion of Heathrow Airport. Read more: Revenue dips at Heathrow despite record passenger numbers Campaigners trying to block a third runway at the UK's biggest airport lost the High Court challenge after the court found that transport secretary Chris Grayling's airport national policy [...]
Revenue dips at Heathrow despite record passenger numbers May 1, 2019 London’s biggest airport Heathrow will invest almost £1bn in its facilities as it prepares for a ruling on a proposed third runway. The airport this morning said that profit before tax fell nearly 57 per cent to £57m in the first three months of the year, but rose 73 per cent on an adjusted basis. Read [...]
Former car boss Ghosn ‘ran up €11m in suspicious expenses’ May 1, 2019 Embattled car boss Carlos Ghosn racked up costs of €10.9m (£9.4m) in questionable expenses including luxury clothing and lavish international travel, an audit carried out by Nissan and Renault has found. The audit highlighted millions of pounds in costs for items including Cartier watches and a trip to Brazil for the Carnival festival, according to [...]
Passengers face disruption at Luton Airport as Addison Lee drivers stage 24-hour strike May 1, 2019 Luton Airport passengers will face difficulty getting home today as Addison Lee drivers stage their first 24-hour strike over claims they are earning less than the minimum wage. Addison Lee was granted the exclusive right to operate at Luton Airport in 2012, meaning passengers will have few other options to get home by taxi if Addison Lee [...]