The man with the worst job in PR resigns December 17, 2012 BUDGET Irish airline Ryanair has announced that head of communications Stephen McNamara is resigning after four years of “being battered and abused by Michael O’Leary on one side and the European media on the other”. A press release sent by the airline revealed that McNamara has decided to pursue an easier life as director of [...]
Ryanair profits suffer as fuel cost and Europe woes mount July 30, 2012 RYANAIR yesterday blamed the spiralling cost of jet fuel for a 28 per cent fall in pre-tax profits to €112.5m (£87.9m) for the quarter. The budget airline said its fuel costs had risen 27 per cent on last year to a whopping €544m, accounting for almost half of all operating expenses. Even hedging 90 per [...]
What the other papers say this morning February 4, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Whitehall departments face big cuts Several government departments will have lost more than £3 in every £10 they once had available for spending, by the time of the next election, according to Financial Times research. SGX in talks over LCH.Clearnet stake SGX, the Singapore stock exchange, is in discussions about taking a stake [...]
Ireland to oppose Aer Lingus bid December 18, 2012 The Irish government has decided to oppose Ryanair’s bid to take over Aer Lingus, transport minister Leo Varadkar said yesterday. The country holds a 25 per cent stake in Aer Lingus, and can scupper Ryanair’s €694m (£565m) approach for the firm. The bid is being probed by the European Commission. “The commission will make its [...]
Christmas rush helps UK airlines end the year with rising traffic January 7, 2013 THE CHRISTMAS getaway has pushed up ticket sales at some of the country’s biggest airlines, according to figures out yesterday. EasyJet said traffic rose 4.9 per cent on a year ago to 4.34m in December. Its load factor – a measure of how much the firm fills its planes – rose 2.3 percentage points to [...]
Airport owners can’t control the weather… or airlines January 20, 2013 IT WAS a terrible week to announce the sale of an airport. Snow has sent air travel into meltdown, in spite of airports’ best efforts to stock up on pricey new ploughs and grit, while safety fears over Boeing’s new Dreamliner planes are playing havoc with the industry’s public image. For Stansted, however, any buyer [...]
Axe tax and lift growth, airlines urge Osborne February 4, 2013 SCRAPPING air passenger duty (APD) would end up benefiting the public purse, according to research conducted by PwC and commissioned by airlines. If the government ended the controversial levy on air travellers entering or leaving the UK, the subsequent boost to businesses could lift GDP by 0.46 per cent this year, the study by PwC [...]
Deal due next week for three Stansted suitors January 16, 2013 THREE suitors have made final bids for Stansted, valuing the north east London airport at around £1bn, two sources said yesterday. Macquarie, Malaysia Airport Holdings and Manchester Airports Group with its partner IFM are the three bidders left in the contest for the airport. A deal to buy the leisure travel-focused airport from Heathrow Airport [...]
Aer Lingus says no to Ryanair’s takeover bid June 20, 2012 SHARES in Aer Lingus soared 15.4 per cent yesterday after Ryanair’s latest takeover bid, though the budget carrier said after the markets closed that the offer undervalues the firm. Aer Lingus, which has been subject to three takeover offers from Ryanair since listing in 2006, urged its shareholders to take no action for now after [...]
Hargreaves Lansdown lifts FTSE 100 February 6, 2013 The FTSE 100 pushed back over the 6,300 level this morning, as investment manager Hargreaves Lansdown topped the index, rising more than seven per cent. This morning the company reported robust growth, with revenue up almost a quarter in the six months to December and pre-tax profit up 30 per cent over the period. “Customer [...]