Spike in package holidays and foreign travel may be ‘rare positive legacy of pandemic’ October 11, 2022 Foreign holidays are back with a bang with 45 per cent of people going abroad in the last year. The latest study from travel agent association ABTA found the level of foreign travel in the last 12 months was equivalent to 70 per cent of that in 2019, pre pandemic. With coronavirus restrictions lifted, a [...]
Heathrow back at number 1 as airport regains status as Europe’s busiest hub October 11, 2022 Heathrow has said it regained its status as Europe’s busiest hub airport over the summer. Some 5.8m passengers travelled through Heathrow in September. A year ago, Heathrow warned it had gone from being Europe’s busiest airport in 2019 to number 10 on the list, behind rivals in cities such as Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt. It [...]
Airbus and Air France plead not guilty at 2009 Rio crash trial October 10, 2022 Airbus and Air France have pleaded not guilty to “involuntary manslaughter” as the nine-week trial over their involvement in the 2009 Rio plane crash started today. The airline and the manufacturer are on trial in a Paris court 13 years after an Air France plane from Rio to Paris crashed into the Atlantic, killing all [...]
Mayor’s ULEZ poll contradicts consultation reports October 10, 2022 A new poll commissioned by London mayor Sadiq Khan over the ULEZ expansion to Greater London directly contradicts reports of consultation responses against the decision. Figures published today by YouGov show that 51 per cent of Londoners are in favour of the expansion plans, against an opposition of 27 per cent. Out of this majority, [...]
Amazon to invest £300m in UK network to ‘electrify and decarbonise’ October 10, 2022 Amazon is to invest more than £300m in its electric vehicle fleet for the UK in a bid to reduce carbon emissions. The technology and delivery giant announced more than 1billion Euros investment across Europe over the next five years, with a big chunk in Britain to “electrify and decarbonise” its transportation network. While already [...]
Rivian recalls almost all its EV trucks due to technical issue October 9, 2022 US electric truck maker Rivian has recalled most of its production due to a possible technical issue. Rivian over the weekend decided to recollect around 13,000 of its 14,317 vehicles manufactured after discovering that a fastener connecting the front upper control arm and the steering knuckle in some of its vehicles may have remained loose. [...]
RMT’s Mick Lynch: ‘We will be in this for as long as it takes’ October 9, 2022 Mick Lynch, secretary general of transport union RMT, said railway workers and their union representatives will continue to fight over better working conditions for “as long as it takes.” More than 40,000 RMT members working at Network Rail and 15 other operators walked out on Saturday in a long-standing dispute over jobs, working conditions and [...]
Ineos presented with £1.2bn bill to make Defender’s rival October 9, 2022 Ineos Automotive has been presented with a £1.2bn bill for its efforts to manufacture a rival to Land Rover’s Defender. Since its 2017 foundation, the car maker – a subsidiary of chemicals giant Ineos Industries – has faced several challenges, as first reported by the Sunday Times. Ineos doubled its losses to €212m (£193m) in [...]
Virgin Orbit ‘opportunistic on the market’ as it eyes new fundraising October 9, 2022 Virgin Orbit’s boss Dan Hart said the satellite launching company is going to be “opportunistic on the market,” as it seeks additional funding rounds following a disappointing SPAC listing. A subsidiary of Richard Branson-backed Virgin Galactic, the firm raised only $228m (£205m) when it listed in December 2021 on the NYSE. However, the initial target [...]
Avanti operator FirstGroup gets six-month extension from DfT to improve ‘unacceptable’ service October 7, 2022 FirstGroup has struck a short-term deal with the government to continue its contract for the West Coast Partnership (WCP) until Match next year. The Department for Transport placed the operator on a six-month contract and “challenged it to deliver the urgent increase in services required”. The deal includes the operation of Avanti West Coast, which [...]
