Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary threatens to sue government over ‘billionaire-owned’ Flybe rescue January 16, 2020 Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has threatened to sue the government over its bailout of “billionaire-owned” regional airline Flybe. O’Leary wrote to chancellor Sajid Javid today demanding that the government extend an air passenger duty “holiday” handed to the struggling carrier to all other airlines. If it does not do this, he said, it would be [...]
Union urges Ryanair to attend talks to avert summer strikes August 15, 2019 A trade union has urged Ryanair to attend talks to resolve the current dispute with its pilots over pay and working conditions. The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), which has over 10,000 members, has called on the budget airline to attend talks with the Acas conciliation service after pilots voted for strike action for Thursday [...]
FTSE 100 sinks into red as China virus scare hits shares January 21, 2020 The FTSE 100 was on track for its biggest fall since early December this morning as investors were rattled by an outbreak of a new strain of coronavirus in China. The London blue-chip index slipped more than one per cent in early trading, with luxury and travel stocks leading the slide. Burberry fell more than [...]
Nasdaq hits all-time high after data shows record jobs growth in US July 2, 2020 Wall Street surged on Thursday, with the Nasdaq hitting an all-time high as strong US jobs data and renewed hopes of a coronavirus vaccine buoyed equities. The FTSE 100 also rose on optimism over a possible vaccine, ending the session 1.34 per cent up. The midcap FTSE 250 added 1.04 per cent. Read more: Primark [...]
Government ‘considers taking stake’ in struggling airline Flybe February 11, 2020 The government is said to be mulling taking a stake in struggling airline Flybe, despite concerns about state aid rules and a fierce backlash from the budget firm’s rivals. Ministers are in talks with Flybe and the European Commission to ensure any rescue deal did not contravene rules about government intervention, the BBC reported. While [...]
‘World’s first’ fully-electric commercial flight takes off in Canada December 11, 2019 A fully-electric passenger seaplane has taken off in Vancouver, Canada, in what has been described as a “world first” in aviation. The test flight by Harbour Air and Magni X was by a six-passenger plane, fitted with an electric motor – the first all-electric commercial aircraft. Read more: Electric-powered regional flights ‘could be taking off [...]
RMT calls on government to avoid ‘reanimating the corpse’ of rail franchising February 26, 2020 Rail union RMT has called on the government to commit to a full renationalisation of the UK’s railways ahead of the imminent Williams review into the franchising system. Although the review is expected to lead to an “overhaul” of the current system, RMT says that the concession model that is widely touted as the government’s [...]
Struggling South Western Railway could be nationalised, says transport secretary Grant Shapps January 22, 2020 The South Western Railway franchise could be nationalised in the coming months after transport secretary Grant Shapps today declared it financially “not sustainable”. South Western, which is run by First Group and Hong Kong firm MTR, has been plagued by delays, poor performance and a series of damaging strikes in recent months. The franchise lost [...]
FTSE 100 back in the red as coronavirus surpasses Sars outbreak January 30, 2020 The FTSE 100 fell sharply in early trading today as European stocks sank into the red after the number of coronavirus cases surpassed the total for the Sars outbreak in the early 2000s. Coronavirus has now killed 170 while the number of infections has risen to 7,700. There were around 5,200 cases of Sars, which [...]
Coronavirus jeopardises Airbnb stock market listing March 2, 2020 Airbnb’s much-anticipated float could be in danger following the outbreak of the rapidly spreading coronavirus. Airbnb has been working towards floating on the stock market this year and was looking to start the process in March or April, according to Bloomberg sources. It could now be pushed back as consumers and businesses cancel travel plans [...]