Royal Mail bets big on 500 drones for 50 new aerial postal routes across UK in push to make air deliveries take off May 12, 2022 With the creation of 50 new “postal drone routes” over the next three years, Royal Mail said it plans to increase its use of drones for deliveries. Under a partnership with logistics drone company Windracers, and subject to Civil Aviation Authority approval, the move will provide faster and more convenient services for remote communities, said [...]
Heathrow hits back after Virgin Atlantic says airport ‘fleecing’ passengers with ‘disproportionate’ fees May 12, 2022 THE EXTRAORDINARY public spat between two of the world’s largest airlines and Heathrow airport moved into another stratosphere yesterday after Virgin Atlantic’s boss said Heathrow was “abusing its monopoly to fleece passengers.” Both Virgin and BA-owner IAG have hit out at Heathrow after the airport asked the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to allow it to [...]
Give visa flexibilty on short-term work stays, City lobby group demands May 12, 2022 DELAYS to visa approvals are holding back the capital, Britain’s top financial services lobby group warned yesterday. TheCityUK said that short-term visas that allow overseas workers to undertake short-term projects in London were facing delays of as long as 12 weeks to receive approval. The body said that post-Brexit rules had made the system more [...]
US aviation union calls on Menzies to guarantee workers rights post NAS takeover May 11, 2022 A US-based aviation union has called on services firm Menzies to guarantee that workers’ rights will be respected following a £571m takeover by Kuwaiti rival National Aviation Service (NAS) through subsidiary Agility. The Airport Workers United Campaign of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) said workers were left in the dark about the deal’s details [...]
Ten Lifestyle posts loss due to higher costs and Omicron May 11, 2022 Travel concierge firm Ten Lifestyle has posted a 47 per cent slump in its earnings as a result of higher costs and the Omicron variant’s impact. In the six months ended 28 February, the group’s EBITDA went down £1.7m to £0.9m, while its cash and equivalents slumped to £5.1m. According to chief executive Alex Cheatle, [...]
TUI to reap profits in 2022 following summer travel boom May 11, 2022 TUI expects to become once again profitable in 2022 due to the expected boom in summer travel demand. In the second quarter of FY22, the holiday group’s losses before interest and taxes narrowed to €329.9m, down 47.8 per cent on the same time last year, while group revenues went up 9.5 per cent to €2.1bn, [...]
Lifting off from the Highlands: Scotland to be launchpad for Europe’s first-ever microlauncher rocket May 11, 2022 Europe’s very first microlauncher rocket will be launched in Scotland. Lifting off from Space Hub Sutherland, in the Highlands, the Prime orbital space rocket has been unveiled by Orbex, a spaceflight company. The firm will now press ahead with testing, allowing “dress rehearsals” of rocket launches and the development of launch procedures. Orbex recently revealed [...]
UK has ‘given up’ on Brexit talks and plans to kill off Northern Ireland Protocol next week as trade war with EU looms May 11, 2022 The government will reportedly move to discard large portions of the Northern Ireland Protocol after giving up on Brexit negotiations with the EU. The Times newspaper reported officials working for Foreign Secretary Liz Truss have drawn up draft legislation to unilaterally remove the need for checks on all goods being sent from Britain for use [...]
Windfall tax: There was little sympathy for loss-making energy giants in depths of 2020 May 10, 2022 Is business turning on business? It appeared so yesterday morning when the well-respected Tesco chair John Allan said the case for a windfall tax on energy giants had become “overwhelming.” Needless to say, Labour jumped all over this, just as they did when the former Financial Times editor Lionel Barber said the same. But alas, [...]
UK unions and ports slam government’s seafarer minimum wage law May 10, 2022 Both unions and the British Ports Association (BPA) have criticised the UK Government’s introduction of a seafarers’ minimum wage law, calling it “likely unworkable.” “This proposal is feeble and highly unworkable,” said Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the union TUC. “Only stronger employment legislation that boosts worker protections and stops companies firing on the spot [...]
