Mark Kleinman’s big predictions for the Square Mile in 2019 January 11, 2019 Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP exit, Unilever’s HQ U-turn, Melrose’s swoop for GKN: 2018 was a year full of surprises in the City. And while forecasting might be a fool’s errand, here are 10 predictions for the year ahead. •Theresa May will decisively lose next week’s “meaningful vote” on Brexit: that’s not a punt that will [...]
Ryanair named ‘worst short-haul airline’ for sixth year in a row January 5, 2019 Ryanair has been named the UK’s worst short-haul airline for the sixth year in the row. A passenger survey, carried out by Which, put the Irish budget airline at the bottom of 19 carriers flying from the UK. Ryanair achieved a customer score of 40 per cent compared to a 63 per cent score for [...]
Wizz Air to overtake Easyjet as Luton Airport’s largest airline with arrival of new routes from next summer December 17, 2018 Ultra low-cost carrier Wizz Air has said it will overtake Easyjet as Luton airport's largest carrier once six new routes come into force from next summer. Wizz Air UK, a subsidiary set up as a Brexit contingency plan, will bring in two new Airbus A321CEO aircraft from next summer, along with six new routes. The announcement [...]
Luton airport gears up for boosted passenger numbers as it unveils £160m upgraded terminal December 13, 2018 Luton airport has unveiled its upgraded terminal after its three-year £160m redevelopment. The redevelopment has been the biggest in the airport’s 80-year history and has seen the terminal expanded to increase capacity in London and the south east, a task levelled to airports by the government. The new terminal features 30 new new high street and high-end stores including [...]
Thomas Cook shares continue to fall, dragging FTSE firms down with it November 28, 2018 Package holiday provider Thomas Cook's share price has continued to fall for a second day, after having more than £175m wiped off its market value yesterday. The firm announced its third profit warning in five months, blaming the UK's long summer heatwave for a decline in Brits heading abroad. Shares in the FTSE 250 company declined by [...]
Arch rivals Walsh and Branson in bidding war for struggling airline Flybe November 25, 2018 Arch airline rivals Willie Walsh and Richard Branson are set to go head to head in a bidding war for struggling airline Flybe. Walsh, who is chief executive of British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG), is facing competition from Branson’s airline Virgin Atlantic as the two carriers vie to take control of Flybe, which [...]
FTSE round up: Index drops on oil and mining share sell-off following fears of oversupply November 23, 2018 The FTSE 100 closed 0.14 per cent down this week after falling to 6,950.82, driven by a sell off in oil and mining shares. The biggest faller was silver and gold miner Fresnillo which saw a 6.98 per cent decrease to 746.4p as the company continued to feel the effects of being downgraded by Morgan Stanley [...]
Easyjet flies in the face of Brexit worries as profits and bookings soar November 20, 2018 Low-cost airline Easyjet remains positive about its 2019 outlook as rising profits and revenues for the year to the end of September defied Brexit concerns and rising costs. The figures Pre-tax profit rose 41.4 per cent to £578m and revenues were up 16.8 per cent to £5.9bn. The airline raised its dividend to 58.6p subject to [...]
Easyjet marks milestone in efforts to get more women piloting jets November 14, 2018 Easyjet has reached a key point in its journey to increase its proportion of female pilots, as it sets a course for one-fifth of its new recruits being women by 2020. Over the past year, 15 per cent of its newly-recruited pilots have been women. In 2015, just six per cent were female. The airline [...]
Budget airline Wizz Air downgrades profit guidance as higher fuel prices bite November 7, 2018 Budget carrier Wizz Air has downgraded its full-year profit guidance by 21 per cent due a surge in fuel bills of $80m (£70m). The figures Wizz Air's previous profit guidance was in the region of €310m-€340m but the airline now expects to make between €270m-€300m. In the six months to 30 September, Wizz Air carried 18.8m passengers, up 20 per [...]