British Airways finance boss to become new chief financial officer at parent company IAG April 15, 2019 British Airways' finance boss Steve Gunning is to take over as the chief finance officer at parent company IAG, replacing the incumbent Enrique Dupuy de Lôme. Willie Walsh's IAG said de Lome would also stand down as the board's executive director when the company holds its AGM in June, where Gunning's appointment will also be put [...]
You can’t blame Brexit for the British car industry’s woes April 15, 2019 Quizzed by Nick Hewer on Honda’s decision to close its Swindon plant earlier this month on BBC radio, I suggested that blaming Brexit for the demise of the Japanese auto makers factory with the loss of 3,500 jobs was not the whole story. Certainly, Brexit plays havoc with the vehicle industry’s sophisticated just-in-time supply chain. [...]
Jet Airways pilots call for Indian PM to intervene as airline grounds all international flights April 15, 2019 Pilots at the troubled airline Jet Airways are protesting outside their company headquarters as the carrier announced it was grounding all international flights. Employees of the Indian carrier, which is straddling a debt pile of more than £900m, gathered outside its headquarters and demanded that the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, intervene. One pilot told the BBC: [...]
Norwegian Air slammed for imposing ‘1950s’ dress code on female cabin crew April 15, 2019 Norwegian Air has been blasted as stuck in a “Mad Men universe” after female staff were told they must carry a doctor’s note at all times if they want to wear flat shoes. In a 22-page dress code which was circulated to staff two weeks ago, the airline said its female employees must wear heels [...]
Volkswagen to build Tesla-style gigafactories as it ramps up electric car production April 15, 2019 Volkswagen is pushing its electric battery suppliers to build factories with at least one Gigawatt manufacturing capacity, according to its chief executive. Read more: Panasonic reviews plans for expansion of Tesla Gigafactory Joint venture partners such as South Korean firm SK Innovation (SKI) would need to build a so-called gigafactory because “anything below that amount [...]
Power supply issue hits London Tube commuters with severe delays April 15, 2019 A power supply problem has hit commuters along the entire length of the Jubilee Line this morning. Read more: Tube travel chaos on horizon as unions threaten strike action Severe delays have disrupted the Tube line as a result of the issue, leaving commuters to face a horrible journey to work today. Transport for London [...]
Passengers take wings at Heathrow as airport sees growth despite Brexit headwinds April 15, 2019 London’s main airport Heathrow showed its 29th consecutive month of record growth in March as passengers headed for Africa and North America helped push up figures. The number of trips made on connections to Africa jumped 5.8 per cent to 304,000, while freight to and from the continent grew 11 per cent as Virgin increased [...]
Stagecoach threatens legal action after rail franchise bids spurned by Chris Grayling April 14, 2019 Stagecoach is threatening legal action after the government spurned bids for three rail franchises in a row over pensions. Lawyers for the train and coach operator have written to the Department for Transport (DfT), which Chris Grayling leads, demanding answers as to why it was barred from bidding for the West Coast, South Eastern and [...]
Biggin Hill boss says Britain must become more competitive as Brexit causes private jet slump April 14, 2019 London's business aviation market is down 5.5 per cent on last year as uncertainty around Brexit continues to bite, a boss at one of London's busiest private jet airports has said. Robert Walters, business development director at London Biggin Hill Airport, said "the number one message" he was receiving from customers was that they needed [...]
Amey ‘makes fresh £300m bid’ for freedom from Birmingham roadworks contract April 14, 2019 Outsourcer Amey has offered £300m to Birmingham city council in a bid to free itself from a 25-year contract to repair roads in the city, according to reports. Read more: FRC investigates Grant Thornton audits of Interserve The struggling UK company has been trying to buy its way out of the troublesome contract for months, after [...]