Heathrow boss calls for coronavirus tests at UK airports April 24, 2020 The chief executive of the UK’s biggest airport has written to the government to call for it to introduce mass health screening at the country’s airports as part of its response to the coronavirus pandemic. Last night John Holland-Kaye wrote to health secretary Matt Hancock to demand the UK puts in place rigorous measures to [...]
Coronavirus: Transport for London to furlough 7,000 staff April 24, 2020 Tube operator Transport for London (TfL) will put 7,000 of its staff onto the government’s job retention scheme from Monday to cut costs during the coronavirus pandemic. Passenger number on TfL’s services have plummeted in recent weeks due to the coronavirus lockdown, as all but essential workers have taken to working from home. According to [...]
Lufthansa books €1.2bn first quarter loss as carrier seeks state-backed loan April 24, 2020 Late last night German state carrier Lufthansa announced it had taken a €1.2bn loss for the first quarter of 2020, raising the prospect that it could go out of business in weeks unless it receives state aid. As a result of the coronavirus outbreak, the flier has been forced to ground almost all of its [...]
FCA confirms three-month freeze for car finance payments April 24, 2020 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has confirmed a three-month payment freeze for car finance payments, ruling out repossessions of vehicles during the coronavirus pandemic. Firms will freeze payments for customers facing difficulties meeting finance or leasing payments due to coronavirus. The financial watchdog said firms should also not take steps to end the agreement or [...]
Gatwick Airport says passenger numbers will take up to four years to recover April 24, 2020 Gatwick Airport said today that it would take three to four years for passenger numbers to recover to pre-coronavirus levels. Before the coronavirus decimated global air traffic, the UK’s second-busiest airport had seen passenger numbers rise to 37m in the nine months ending in December 2019. Subsequently, Gatwick has been forced to take dramatic steps [...]
Renault sees revenue drop a fifth due to coronavirus April 23, 2020 French car giant Renault saw its revenue drop nearly a fifth in the first quarter, warning that it was still to early to say what the overall impact of the coronavirus crisis would be. Revenue at the group fell 19.2 per cent to reach €10.1bn (£8.9bn) as car sales slumped due to the pandemic, which [...]
Ryanair will not resume flights if middle seat must be left empty, says Michael O’Leary April 22, 2020 Ryanair will not resume flights if it is forced to leave the middle seats empty in order to comply with social distancing rules, the budget airline’s chief executive Michael O’Leary said. O’Leary reportedly said he believed the company will about 40 per cent of its flights at a capacity of 50 to 60 per cent [...]
Coronavirus: Thwarted holidaymakers seeking £7bn in refunds April 22, 2020 Consumer rights group Which? has said that it has received thousands of complaints from customers trying to secure refunds from the UK’s biggest travel companies and airlines. New research from the group shows that many of the UK’s leading travel firms are breaching their legal obligations to pay refunds within the required timescale, instead offering [...]
Transport for London ‘in line for Tube bailout’ April 22, 2020 Urban transport operators including Tube operator Transport for London are in line for government bailout as the complete collapse in passenger numbers due to coronavirus raised questions over their survival. The Financial Times reported that Whitehall officials said that emergency funding could be released by the end of the week following negotiations. Passenger numbers have [...]
Richard Branson hits out as Virgin Australia goes into administration April 21, 2020 Billionaire businessman Sir Richard Branson has hit out at the Australian government after low-cost airline Virgin Australia went into administration this morning. In an open letter, Branson, whose Virgin group owns 10 per cent of the airline, wrote: “In most countries federal governments have stepped in, in this unprecedented crisis for aviation, to help their [...]
